


Trying To Make It Right

by ToxicAngel13



Category: The Walking Dead (TV), The Walking Dead - All Media Types
Genre: Changed!Merle, CluelessOnHealth!Rick, Fix-It, Lori!Bashing, M/M, NotInsane!Shane, Possesive!Daryl, Protective!Morgan, Redo!, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-02
Updated: 2016-04-29
Packaged: 2018-02-27 21:15:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 91,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2707043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToxicAngel13/pseuds/ToxicAngel13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They all were lost. And then he died, but he woke up again and it wasn't to begin his life as a walker. No the moment everything went dark it came back too damn bright and he was back where it all started. Rick couldn't have hallucinated the whole damn thing, not when the walkers were out there in the hospital just like before. So he had to plan what he would do next. Thing weren't going to happen like they did before. He wasn't going to lose Shane to insanity. And he definitely wasn't going to let his people die if he had a choice about it. And then there was Daryl. He wasn't going to waste the extra time he'd been given with HIS hunter. This time EVERYTHING would be different. Only he didn't know how different it would be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dying to Wake Up and Try Again

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, Alright. I know I shouldn't be posting a new story when my other's need me, but to be fair this one had it's hooks in me since before I swore of Fanfiction for two months to prepare and participate in NaNoWriMo this year. Good news all- First year trying it and I have my first win under my belt. The novel is no where near being done, but I have almost 60K worth of words down for it so it's getting there and I will self publish it when it is finished. For now though, I will be updating my stories and writing on my novel...  
> That being said... Don't riot and kill me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Edited 02/02/2015 Due to error found

* * *

          Running. Fuck ever since the Prison fell, since their sanctuary fell, their lives had reduced to running and losing the people who they cared about. Hell Rick didn’t even know where Carl was, if he was still alive. He had alienated his son so much over the years that one morning he and Daryl had woken up to find the 18 year old man had left in the middle of the night while he was on watch. In doing so he left the two older men sleeping and in a position where walkers could have walked right up and eaten them and they never would have been the wiser. Rick had no idea Carl hated him that much, and Rick was convinced that the teen had to have hated them to leave them in such a vulnerable position. But ever since the prison his son had been different. The younger survivor had been harder and more quick to anger when he was dealing with his father. He was less so with his step-father but that change was still there with him too.

          Carl had taken 7 year old Judith with him when he left, and they had no idea in hell where the teen had gone. No amount of tracking that his partner had done had found them in the months that had followed and Rick could only hope that his children were still alive out there. He trusted Carl to keep Judith safe where ever they were, but people died every day now from sickness and from the walkers so the two men could be looking for corpses for all they knew. After all the damned virus was in them all and with each new death that wasn't handled correctly a continuous supply of fresh walkers existed. It was because of that the walkers hadn’t died out yet, unfortunately for those who were still clinging onto survival. 

          Their son's abrupt departure had been the beginning of the end for the pair. Now, when he had his partner’s, his lover’s, head in his lap and a damned bite mark on his arm he wished he could have known all of this before hand. He would have changed so much of what he had done if he had only known. So many people would still be alive, would still be with them and he might not be facing becoming a walker himself. In the very least there would be someone to put him down after he changed, but now he was going to kill whoever found them.

           Daryl was dead, he’d gotten bit the night before and Rick had forced himself to end it before his lover turned. He knew Daryl wouldn’t want to be a walker, but he can’t do the same to himself. He had gotten stupid after Daryl died, worse than when his wife Lori had passed in fact, and he had gotten bit himself during his break from reality. Hell he wasn’t sure how he was coherent enough to be sitting here now, with Daryl’s bloody corpse resting in his lap, but he was. He was also out of damned bullets and stabbing oneself in the head isn’t as easy as you think it turned out.

           He snorted at that thought. Daryl would lie here and rot after he passed and he would walk around and do the same, maybe he would even tear out some unsuspecting survivor’s throat if they managed to get in- he’d locked himself in here with Daryl, but if he knew one thing about the remaining population it was that someone would come scavenging sooner or later. He pitied the poor fool who ended up finding thier previously safe house. They wouldn't know what hit them if they were dumb about it.

           He shivered as the fever settled in full blast, and ran his hand through Daryl’s hair to try to sooth himself in some way. He had missed so much time with this man by being such an idiot before, by not seizing the chance to be with him the very first moment that he realized that his attraction was returned by the other man. And now he wasn’t ever going to hear Daryl grunt at him, or see that crooked smile directed at him, or their people again. Fuck he hated seeing the people he loved die, but at least... At least he was going out knowing that Daryl wasn’t going to be alone in this world. Not like Daryl had to face when he was dying the night before. And damn it he was proving his lover right by dying. Daryl had muttered that Rick was going to get himself killed without him there to cover his back before the fever had taken his senses. And he had done just that.

          It all boiled down to the fact that there was so much he would change if he could. Merle, Shane, Dale, Lori, Andrea, Carol, Sophie, Beth. So many things that he would try to fix or prevent happening. He shivered as the chills set in, wishing he had the chance to change it all with his entire being. Wishing he had more time with Daryl. Soon enough the fever took over and he mercifully blacked out. He didn’t wake up again. Not where he had been at least, and that was an entirely different tale altogether.

* * *

  
            Bright light, it was burning his eyes even through his eye lids and it invaded his senses abruptly waking him from what he thought was his final sleep. Rick groaned weakly in response to it, his hand flinging out for Daryl as his groggy mind tried to make his lover shut the curtains for him and stop that light from reaching him. Only his hand hit a handrail instead of his lover’s sleeping body. His eyes flew open at that and he felt sick to his stomach when he saw the same hospital room he had woken up in 8 years ago surrounding him, mocking that last wish that he remembered thinking before the fever took over.

           This couldn’t be happening, but he felt the same damned thirst that he had the first time around in his aching throat- the one that he now knew meant he’s been without water for more than a week. Even though he didn’t want to get up he forced himself to move. He had to figure out what the hell was happening and to get some damned water into his body before he passed out again and whatever was happening to him became a bit redundent. Dehydration was a dangerous thing to play around with, he’d experienced it too many times over the last 8 years not to know that.

            He painfully made his way to the bathroom and drank from the sink when the water thankfully turned on again, just like before. Only this time he didn’t take the ravounous gulps of before- but he plugged the sink and drank slowly, letting his body adjust to the sudden influx so he didn’t end up throwing it all up again, thus making his condition worse. And that process went on for a while as he tried to get as much liquid into his body as he could.

            The water was safe here as far as he knew and he needed to be hydrated and clear headed before he even attempted to leave the hospital. Rick had really put himself in danger the last time when he had stumbled out of here as fast as he could make himself, but that wasn’t happening this time. He was as safe as he was going to be for a while at the moment so he needed to take the chance and recover while he could. Slowly the water started working it’s magic and he started to feel human, then he stumbled back to the bed.

            He yanked the sheet over his head as he laid down and made himself sleep some more. Rick knew that even if he wanted just to get out of here to see if the people and situations he had 'dreamed' were real, this place had been safe enough for him to have been here comatose for the 2 weeks without being eaten. He needed to recover more of his strength, so he would stay. Sleep came far to easy with knowing just what kind of danger he was facing, but it came and he was glad for it.  
   
            When he woke up he took a weak piss, then drank some more- moving easier as he did. That was a good sign, the easier he moved the faster he would be able to travel. And the faster he traveled the sooner he got back to his people and could start keeping them out of trouble if they were real. He soothed his pounding heart with plans of what he was going to do when he got back into camp if he found it to be the same as before. The first step would be to keep Shane out of trouble, the second would be to seduce Daryl back into his bed and heart while making sure Lori knew that they were over and reconnecting with his son. The list went on after that as his mind came up with more and more things that he could change if given the chance to.

           It was with a much clearer mind than his first tumble out of the bed had provided that he searched through his room to see just what he had to work with in here. Rick ended up finding a pack of dropped nut mix by a chair he remembered Shane sitting in, which he ate slowly in an attempt to get something on his stomach that he knew had been empty far too long, then he drank some more water. His eyes felt heavy soon after that and Rick proceeded to fall asleep again almost as soon as he laid down once more, listening to his bodies needs. The years he apparently hadn’t lived yet taught him to recover while you could, and to appreciate what you had, even if it wasn't much.  
   
          When he woke up next he felt better than he had after Morgan’s house even, which made him wonder just how in the hell he had gotten there the first time around. He must have had an angel looking out for him that day, and he must have used up his quota of luck for the decade. Hopefully that wasn’t the case this time around. God knew that they could use some of that luck surviving out there. Rick spent one more day drinking water to steady his hydration levels, and pissing like a racehorse in between naps.

          So when he woke next he made himself a list of just what he had to look for. He was in a damned hospital after all and that was one place that his people wouldn’t raid due to the amount walkers that tended to occupy them. There had to be supplies here that his family would need in the future and he wasn’t going to be leaving without them. Only an idiot would walk away from the things that stood between them and certain death out there. And yes he was admitting that he had been am idiot the first time around, but he was a hell of a lot smarter than that now, which is why he was making the list and not just bolting out of the room and grabbing whatever he could get his hands on before leaving.

           First he had to find a knife, or bar, something to defend himself- he’d need that for any walkers out there on the hospital floor after all. He pried the side rail from his bed up in the end, deciding that it was better than nothing after all. Next he looked around the room itself once more and found a clean uniform and his side arm in the closet- courtesy of Shane no doubt and something he had missed in his rush before. He didn’t waste time changing into the familiar, beloved clothing and putting on his gun and holster. He wouldn’t be using his side arm in the hospital of course, he wasn't about to draw more walkers to him just because he wanted a quick and easy way to get rid of them when he had another option. So the railing was still his best bet in defense and dispatching the walkers until he could find a machete, or something similar to use.

          His heart ached for his ‘brother’ as he finished dressing though. Shane had tried to give him every damned legs up that he could manage in case he if he ever woke up from his damned coma. And he had missed it all and worse yet he hadn’t even been grateful for what he had noticed when he had gotten into the camp. Instead he had focused in on Lori and Carl then bolted back to Atlanta for his guns and Merle. It was no wonder the man he had once called brother had felt abandoned by him, had gone off the deep end with all of Lori’s crap. He’d make it up to Shane this time, he wouldn’t let him become the man that he had because he wouldn't react the same as he had the last time if and when he found his people.

         Armed with his trusty side rail, and several dozen pee-cups of clean water in a make shift bag, which he had fashioned from tied bed sheets of all things, he ventured out of his room to look for supplies. He had a feeling that by the time he got out of the hospital he was going to wish he had that damned horse, or a car to help with all of this though. He was feeling a bit pack ratty right now with this potentially unraided location at his finger tips. Hell he would have killed for access to this place and the supplies within it multiple times over the last 8 years.

        There was a pharmacy on his floor, which was a gold mine in so many ways. He cleaned it out of every last thing he could grab even if his bag weighed him down painfully in the end. Those Meds were invaluable out there and there was no way in hell he was just leaving then here to gather dust and expire. Not when he people could use them to survive longer out there. The outbreak and deaths in the prison flashed through his mind suddenly. He wouldn’t let that happen this time, he had the meds that the others had gone out for now, and he would guard these things with his life if need be.

         Rick found food too as he continued to look around- snacks and bottled water that was thankfully untouched because survivors knew better than to try to raid this place because of the walker. Or they hadn't grown desperate enough to try. He took all of the rations that he could and fitted it into his packs, thankful for the small mercies in life. He now had a hell of a lot more than when he had first left this place, so surviving would be easier. He gave one last look to the place that had kept him alive while he was in a coma and all of this shit went down and then he started to make his way home.

        He just had one stop to make, and he considered this stop his first try at changing how things played out if he found what he was looking for there. If he was right then Carl would have a playmate in the camp around his age alot sooner than the prison and Morgan wouldn’t end up going bat shit crazy on him. He just had to take care of Morgan’s wife himself, because the other man hadn't, couldn't do it before.


	2. Of Old Friends and Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AN: An Update for my loves! I'm trying to space this out so you get some anticipation with waiting for these things. But never fear- I have 21K worth of this written... meaning I'm stockpiling my Updates. ^.^ hehe
> 
> Edited: 1/14/2015, 2/9/2015

          This time when he saw Duane, Rick stopped walking and held his hands up in a peaceful gesture as soon as the kid noticed him. He was completely clear minded so there wasn’t any mistaking the child for his son, or whatever the hell he had done that first time that he had seen him. Duane froze, looking at him in a wide eyed panic that made Rick feel bad about just coming up to him without some sort of warning. He’d been a little too out of it the first time to really notice what his arrival had caused Duane to feel, and having lived with the uncertainty of what a new survivor could mean? Well he was already wishing that he would have approached this in a slightly different way now that he was seeing just how he was affecting the kid. Not that there was any good way to go about this when he intended on putting this kid’s mother down as soon as he saw her.

          “Whoa there Little Man, I'm not meaning any harm here. There is no need to take a swing at me.” He tried to sooth the child in front of him, drawing himself out of his thoughts and making sure that the little guy knew his intentions were not to harm him. When he spoke the little boy he knew would die for his father’s vendetta looked behind Rick with wide eyes. Then the cop heard Morgan clear his throat and had to stop himself from smiling in relief. He had gotten attached to Morgan the first time around and seeing the other man after his son was killed? Well that had about killed him since his own son was alive and well.

          “Who the hell are you? And just what the hell are you doing near my son?” The other man demanded sharply, his voice hard and suspicious as he aimed his gun at Rick’s head. Rick grimaced inwardly at that, there was the initial paranoia he had missed from the other man when he had ended up getting knocked out by Duane. Morgan wouldn’t have the same trust in him now because he was skipping that painful and time consuming experience but he needed to get him and Duane out of here before the future became reality.

          “I'm just another person making it in this mess. Look I’m not 100 percent at the moment, so forgive me. I got shot before this all happened- I’m Officer Rick Grimes, pleasure to meet you Mister....” He replied, his voice raspy as he spoke. Damn it had been a while since he had talked this much.  Morgan glared at him.

           “How the hell do I know you aint bit and just trying to pass it off as a gunshot?” He spat, his voice full of suspicion and doubt. Rick did grimaced then, maybe it would have been easier to let the young boy hit him with the shovel. At least then Morgan would have discovered the bandages on his own and he wouldn't be this confrontational.

            “I’ll let you search me as closely as you want to so you can see for yourself. The only wound on me is the gunshot. I promise, but we should get inside before anymore of these things come out to play.” He responded, keeping his voice light and not letting any of the what he was feeling leech into it. Morgan looked at him for a moment, before motioning him inside the house with a hard nod, not bothering to lower his gun as he did. Rick instantly understood the unsaid statement that Morgan didn't trust him yet.

           Rick followed his directions and entered the house that he remembered all too well without another word. He’d respect Morgan’s wishes, because he needed to gain his trust somehow. And he needed to do it before he shot the walker that his wife had turned into to get them to leave with him. Otherwise he might just get shot himself and what good would his second chance be then? It would be wasted, that much was for sure and he sure as hell wasn’t going to not see his lover and children again, so he wasn’t dying here.

           When Morgan dismissed his son and looked at him pointedly Rick stripped all the way down- far to used to the the future where one bite equaled death to be embarrassed or shy about getting naked. The other man’s eyes searched his body intently, looking for a bite, and at the gunshot. Morgan did raise an eyebrow at his behavior though, his lips twitching ever so slightly as he didn’t find a bite. When Morgan was satisfied that the only wound he had was a lightly red scabbed over bullet hole the cop dressed again. The older man gave him with a sorrow filled look when he was finished though, his mood shifting in a second as he proved that he wasn’t bit, that he was safe that way at least.

           “I’m sorry but we can’t be to cautious here. I can’t just let anyone around my boy, not now. I’m Morgan, and the boy’s name is Duane.” He murmured, his voice gruff as he looked towards the stairs. Rick nodded sharply at the statement, his mind connecting the dots easier now. He looked at Morgan and sighed deeply. He couldn’t be the guy he had been before- that guy got Duane killed and drove Morgan insane with guilt because he wasn’t ready to man up and do what Morgan couldn’t do right now. The radio contact had been a bust, a pretty little lie that would have never worked, no matter what they might have told each other and themselves. The batteries had run out and the distance had become to large to be practical too quickly for a long term way of communication.

           He really had to end Morgan’s wife if he wanted them to live, because this Morgan? He was still to attached to the woman and it would just happen all over again if he left them. He had to be the leader that his group needed starting now and make those hard decisions that others couldn't. Of course Rick had known that before he had left the hospital. He just hoped that Morgan didn’t end up killing him when he took care of Jenny.

           “Listen man, the fact your still here? Somethings obviously holding you to this place and if you stay any longer it will get you or your boy killed because those things aren’t just going to avoid this place.” He said bluntly, using the tone that he had become familiar with when speaking to his people automatically. “You need to take care of business and get somewhere less populated. I heard about a camp outside of Atlanta. Will you come with me? For your son’s sake, please. If humanity is going to survive then the children we have or had are the future. I have a son out there. And I know, I just know he’s alive.” Morgan sighed, looking sad as hell and then out the window, at the walkers that were now gathering out there.

         “She’s my wife...My Jenny. I can’t just leave her like that, and I can’t bring myself to put her out of her misery either. She got bit, then she got sick and when she died I put her out before she came back. But she keeps coming home.” He whispered, his voice breaking, and Rick spotted a dark skinned walker in a bathrobe coming closer to the door. This was it, his moment of truth. Morgan could end up killing him after all for this stunt, but it had to be done because Morgan needed his son to live and for that to happen they needed to leave Kings County as soon as they could.

        He gnashed his teeth together, steeling himself against anything that might happen, before going out on the porch and shooting her down with his side arm before he could dwell on what the man who didn’t know him would to in retaliation. Even though he knew the noise would draw attention he wasn’t about to beat her head in with his more silent weapon and he needed to get this done now, before Morgan had a chance to react to his sudden movement. As Jenny collapsed, like her strings were cut Rick heard Morgan let out a wounded noise behind him. It sounded like the other man's world had ended again and Rick felt a stab of guilt at having caused it.

        Rick spared the other man a brief look as he holstered his gun and grabbed the railing that he had used from the hospital until now. That would work just fine for the rest of these biters. He braced himself and then he took care of the rest of the crowd as quickly and cleanly as he could. He had to admit bashing their heads in was a little therapeutic considering what he had experienced in the last week- his death and the recovery at the hospital. When he was done he retreated inside, where Morgan was gaping at his wife’s body still. Before he hadn’t known what to think about the strange and dangerous world he had woken up in, in the simplest terms he had been scared so he had let Morgan handle it his way.

        “Now her soul is at rest man. One clean shot and her suffering is over, I swear it. Get your gear together and get ready to leave when I do. I’m not letting the two of you die, you gotta understand that.” He grunted, calm now that the immediate threat to his once friend’s life was over and done with. Morgan glared at him, looking away from his wife’s body abruptly. He nodded but then he looked around the house forlornly and then he looked to the stairs, where his son had disappeared to earlier. Rick hoped the boy hadn’t looked out the window and saw what he had just done. He hadn’t really thought about that chance when he had decided to end her as soon as possible.

          “Duane! We’re leaving now, get your things together!” He called out to his son suddenly, stomping to the kitchen and packing himself without saying a word to the man who had just killed his wife. Rick let him have his space as they worked, there was no need to rile him up more after what he had just done. The two people that he had set out to save were alive and coming with him, that was all he could hope for right now. There would be time for forgiveness and getting to know each other later after all.

* * *

 

          The group of three were out of the house long before sun down and heading to the station Rick had worked at. The cop wasn’t about to leave the guns behind, because they had saved his ass more than once in the coming eight years and he was pretty sure that the showers would go a long way in easing the tension that killing Morgan's undead wife had caused. Rick kept his side arm holstered as they entered the station- he was only going to use it if he had to in an attempt to keep walkers from gathering outside while there were in there.

           He knew that gun shots drew walkers and they didn’t need the attention while they were doing their thing here if they were going to take their time in doing it. The less walkers that were around here ended up meaning that they had more time here plain and simple. Like before they took a chance to clean up, and to Rick the hot water running over him felt like heaven. Even if he hadn’t lived the past eight years yet it had been far too long since his last actual shower.

           His Daryl wouldn’t have been too happy about missing this, considering Rick wasn’t planning on going to the CDC so they wouldn’t have that shower this time around. As he continued enjoying his shower he promised he’d find another working one, after he got back to his people. There was no way in hell he could take that experience from them, even if they wouldn’t know that they had lost it. The shower had renewed thier spirits for a little while. At least it had until Jenner tried to kill them all.

          Rick pushed the thoughts of his Daryl out of him mind suddenly. If this was going to work out, if he was going to stay sane and get this version of the man he loved to love him back he couldn’t keep thinking of him. Doing that would only lead to him making comparisons between the two and that wasn’t fair to either version of the man that had become his whole world in the coming eight years. He had to remember that, no matter how hard it became once he was actually back in Daryl’s presence.

           After the showers were done Rick suggested that they rested for the night before doing anything else. It was getting dark outside and he didn’t feel like chancing fate by turning on any of the lights in order to see as they raided they station. Surprisingly enough his silent traveling partner agreed with him, looking at him straight on for the first time since Rick had taken care of his wife. But Morgan had a condition of his own before he would bunk down.

          “Let’s get Duane down for the night, and then I’m looking at that wound again Officer. I ain't liking how red it was when I saw the damn thing earlier, and the last thing we need is you going down from a damned infection of all things possible these days.” Morgan all but growled at him, his eyes flashing with a challenge that dared him to say no. If Rick said no he didn’t doubt Morgan would do it anyway, even if he had to hold him down to do it. And that was something new this time around, even after Duane had taken him down the other man really hadn’t cared if his gunshot wound was infected, but then again he hadn’t stayed with the other man long the last time around. He had been out of it the one time Morgan had cleaned it, so he couldn't say for sure if the man had even noted the state of it.  
    
           Rick had managed to take care of his own wound in the past, barring the first time he’s woken up after Duane had knocked him out cold so he didn't think it could be too bad. There would be no harm in letting the other man satisfy his urge to care for Rick. He nodded and the other man finally smiled at him, his entire demeanor changing in a second as he guided his son into a cell and laid him down on the bed. The shower had made the young boy tired, so he was out light a light pretty quickly. Then Morgan was coming back to him, a serious look set in his dark eyes as he looked at Rick expectantly.

          “I made sure to grab what I could after I woke up in the hospital. I had a feeling I'd need everything I could get my hands on after I saw the walking bodies, here’s some gauze and antiseptic.” Rick offered, having dug said Items out of his makeshift bag while Morgan was putting his son down to bed, knowing that they would be needed for the cleaning and care of his wound. The older man looked over what he had and smiled, shaking his head as he picked up the bottle of antiseptic. He turned to look at Rick with a raised eyebrow and motioned to his shirt with a look that said he was an idiot for still having it on.

          “Off with it Officer. I ain't going to be able to do shit to that hole in yer chest until you do.” He grunted, grabbing the gauze already and wetting it down with the antiseptic. Rick groaned inwardly and started stripping his shirt off so his companion could actually get to the wound he wanted to care for. Morgan smirked as he looked over the other man, and he even laughed. “I have a feeling keeping you in line will be worse than trying to do so with Duane Grimes. You reek of troublemaker.” He hummed under his breath as he removed the bandage from the cop’s newly revealed chest. Rick didn’t bother answering the jest as he grit hit teeth together when Morgan started cleaning the only slightly infected wound.

          “I think you’re enjoying this a little too much.” Rick finally bit out as the cleaning took longer than he thought was necessary. He had survived just fine the first time around without anyone doing this to him, so he knew he wasn’t going to die from Morgan not doing this. Morgan just snorted at his statement, frowning to himself as he worked on the wound.

          “And I think you’re an idiot with a death wish, have since you gunned down my wife. I could have added another hole to this collection you’ve got going here quite easily if I’d gone with my first instinct.” He replied, his tone too light for what he was saying. Rick grimaced as the other man gave his wound a final wipe before grabbing the neosporian and spreading it over whole area he had just cleaned with a surprising efficiency. Rick clenched his eyes shit at the sharp pain the wound being manipulated caused him. This was the other man's payback for saving him, he knew it.

          When he opened his eyes again Morgan had managed to get the bandage onto him without Rick even realizing it. Morgan raised an eyebrow at him again before cleaning up the medical supplies that he had used on the cop. Rick sighed, grabbing his shirt and putting it back on. He had a feeling Morgan was going to be a pain in the ass now. The other man seemed to have decided that he didn’t hate Rick for ending Jenny and this behavior now combined with his comments? Morgan had adopted Rick into his little family, which would be interesting once they got to the camp.

          “Just what did you do before all of this went down?” Rick asked suddenly, looking at the bandages that were adorning his body as he paused in buttoning up his shirt. The other man definitely had some skills when it came to patching people up, that much was for sure. Morgan’s lips twitched as he looked up from what he was doing and at Rick. He laughed a little, before handing the supplies to the cop.

         “I was a doctor believe it or not. I worked Morgan Memorial Hospital over in Madison. Jenny convince me that Atlanta was our best bet for evacuation puposes after Morgan was overrun so that's why we were here. As a level 4 trauma center we saw a lot of the victims in the beginning and we tried to help them. But they all died and then they started coming back and killing the staff. I cleared out as soon as the first couple happened cause I needed to get my wife and son outta danger and you saw how well that turned out. Funny thing is that an hours drive had turned into close to three by then and that was even before the bombings. I shoulda known then that going against the flow of traffic was a bad omen.” He replied finally, a hint of steel in his voice as he spoke.

          Rick was floored, Morgan was a Doctor? He could have used the man with his people in the beginning. He felt like an idiot for not having asked this before. How many things had he missed just because he had been too simple minded about asking questions. Hell even his three question rule had come about too late. The cop shook his head and sighed. Depending on Morgan’s specialty Lori might actually stand a chance when it came time for the baby to come. Hell having Morgan around would change a lot of things, because surviving in this world led to a hell of a lot of injuries and having someone on hand that could help manage that, even before they picked up Hershal and his family would be nice.

          “Well I’ll be damned. I wasn’t expecting that. Military maybe, but a Doctor? Hell that’s a stroke of luck.” He chortled under his breath. Morgan snorted, heading to the cell he had put his son down in. Rick watched him leave, and it looked like the other man wasn’t going to respond to him. But then he stopped and shook his head while laughing under his breath.

          “I was in the service when I was 18, used the incentives to pay for med school. Funny thing is I wasn’t planning on letting anyone know I was medically trained. Not with how the world is, too many people might think to take advantage of me. Somehow I don’t see you doing that Grimes. You didn’t have to man up and take care of my wife for me when I couldn’t. But you did. And you did it because you knew I wouldn’t be able to. I would have gotten myself and my boy killed in one way or another. So the way I figure? I need to keep yer ass alive because yer one of the good guys and you can’t help but get into trouble.” Morgan threw over his shoulder, with a self satisfied smirk that told the cop that he was playing.

            Rick couldn’t resist a pout at that because he’d been told that exact thing by his lover for a long time now. This Morgan had only known him for a day now and he already could make that assumption, so there had to be something telling about him. Morgan was going to be a pain in his ass, because he knew the other man was going to be watching him. And he didn’t think the Doctor would let him pull his normal bullshit without challenging him and getting the others in the group on his side. And there was the kicker. Rick had a feeling that by bringing Morgan into his family that there would be people who listened to the Doctor closely. And he would make them think about Rick’s state and the choices that he made .Hell he didn’t think he was ready for this, the amount of change to the future that it would bring and all. He grunted, shaking himself out of his thoughts.

           “Tommorrow we search for what we can salvage from here after we wake up. Then I need to stop at home and grab what we can use to survive from there. My partner on the force would have gotten my wife and kid out of there if he made it to them, so hopefully there’s no bodies to be found there.” He informed his ‘new’ friend.. Morgan nodded sharply, before turning again and heading to his son’s cell. Rick thought the conversation was over so he relaxed, letting the muscles that had been tense since the hospital ease finally.

           “You haven’t talked much about yer wife. If she thought you died... Don’t be surprised if she jumped the gun and moved on Grimes. I’m not saying it to be mean, but I can tell yer already considering the fact that she moved on, even if it’s in the back of yer mind. If we find her and yer boy. I’ll have yer back on it, considering you went down upholding the law and all.” Morgan rumbled, before he was gone.

          Rick bunked in a cell that night, glossing over the room that the county maintained for officers staying overnight because he didn’t want to get used to the comforts it provided. The life he was facing out there? It wouldn’t be cozy and he had to remind himself of that fact now. He didn’t sleep well that night, Morgan’s words echoing in his mind. Even though he knew that Lori had strayed before he hadn’t been ready for her to be fucking his best friend. He had never expected Shane to even be interested in Lori to tell the truth, so the fact that they had slept together after his 'death'? It still didn't sit well with him, even after having years to accept it.

* * *

 

          The next morning the three travelers cleared the station out of any and all supplies that they could find in it. Guns, Ammo, Food from the small kitchen, and vending machines, a couple couple cans of gas from the stations pumps, a cruiser and a couple walkie talkies to communicate with Morgan for short distances when they were out on the road. He wasn’t about to leave the other man any time soon, but they could be separated and Rick wanted to maintain contact with him. Morgan had rolled his eyes, but he also didn’t reject the walkie. Instead he tucked it into his belt and smiled grimly as they loaded the cruiser with their supplies.

          When they got to Rick’s previous home Morgan actually wrapped an arm around him, steadying as he stumbled at the sight of it alone. Even after eight years seeing the place where his family had thrived affected him. He had felt safe here, but it had all been a lie in the end. He knew Lori had been unhappy and even if the world hadn’t ended she would have ended up leaving him, He didn’t know why, but when he found the papers proving that it was honestly like the world had ended again. He had cried the moment that the words registered. She hadn’t waited long before filing this. He would have just been in the coma in fact.

         “Shit man, I swear I didn’t know I was right last night when I said what I did, I just assumed there would be problems at home considering what I noticed, like the fact that when you mention yer boy ya don’t tend ta mention her. If you find yer old woman I swear she won’t end up hurting you again, not if I can help it anyways. Drawing up paper’s when ya was in a coma? That’s just cold man.”Morgan muttered in his ear, tightening his arm around the cop tightly and Rick couldn’t do anything but let him be there. As he stared at the damn papers he remembered everything that had happened with Lori and he reconsidered everything.

         The fact that his ‘wife’ had moved on so quickly after his supposed death had never sat well with him. But everything made a sickening sort of sense now and he could only wish that it hadn’t involved Shane. Lori had been lashing out in the only way that she could when she chose his brother as a rebound and that made him feel even sicker. He had played right into her plans in the end and he hadn’t even known what was happening. How could he be so damn stupid? Fuck he had failed Shane more than he knew in the end of things when he laid the blame on him and he couldn’t let that happen again.

         Rick tucked the papers in his bag as he resumed packing once he had gathered himself again. He had a feeling that having them on his person when he made it back to the camp would change things. In the least they would give him a reason to move on with Daryl once he got to camp and reconnected with him that is, a reason no one could deny. He just had to get the other man fall in love with him again, which wouldn't be a easy thing to do.

        No one could really say anything about him moving on if he had the proof that she had been planning on leaving him while he was in a coma after all, right? Morgan stuck close by after his discovery, looking worried as hell as Rick moved through his home gathering supplies, the papers mocking him silently from their spot in his bag, reminding him of all his failures. Past and present.

         “We were fighting before all this.” Rick suddenly admitted when the silence became too much for him to handle and he needed to hear something. Morgan grunted, looking up from what he was packing into a bag. There was understanding in that gaze. Morgan sighed suddenly, his hand stilling as he straightened his stance.

         “This here? It’s something for you and yer wife to talk out when we find her and yer boy. Till then? I need you to be on the top of yer game. Ya can’t let those paper’s knock ya off yer game, that’s how ya get killed out there.” He ordered, staring at him intently. Rick blinked once, twice, then his lips twitched in a smile as he realized Morgan was showing solidarity. Rick’s reaction to this new puzzle piece was almost completely correct given the situation, and this man who had just met him was comforting him.

         “I hear ya. Let’s finish this up and get back on the road, it don’t feel right just sitting around when anything can happen at that camp at anytime.” He replied, accepting what was happening. Lori drawing up those papers didn’t change anything that wouldn’t have already happened. He had accepted things with Lori were over years ago and it wasn’t like he was going to waltz back into camp and play house with her this time. That had been part of the problem before- he had stubbornly tried to hold onto what normalcy he could grasp, and people had suffered because of that. Shane had died because of that.

         “Alright then, this is all yer show considering I don’t know where the hell that camp you keep mentioning is.” Morgan replied, smirking a little as he spoke. Rick rolled his eyes and grabbed some more clothes. Even if these ended up going to other people in the group they would be useful to have, if he remembered correctly the group didn’t have much more than what they wore on a day to day basis. Changes in clothing were a luxury more than a need in the grand scheme of things.

         Rick still remembered after the CDC, when Lori and Carol were looking through the things left behind in the cars, through the clothing which they eyed with want before the walker herd had come. They didn’t have to just survive out there. They could, no would actually live this time around. He made a point about not continuing the conversation as Morgan left the room with a full bag, wanting to let it drop for the moment. He didn’t want to accidentally reveal something he didn’t want to because he was off kilter over the divorce papers still and for some reason it was just too easy to talk to Morgan.

        By the time the trio left The Grime’s household behind the cruiser had been filled even more, and Rick had plans to stop and raid for some more supplies while they were on their way to the camp drifting in the back of his head. Sure he was coming to the camp bearing more than just guns this time, but it wouldn’t hurt to come with a decent food supply on hand too. He knew Daryl didn’t mind hunting, but even that could only provide so much to supplement their meals. They would be leaving the camp soon, if he had his way, and hunting on the road was next to impossible, so a beefed up supply on hand was a must.

        As Duane drifted off to sleep in the backseat, snuggled with some pillows and a couple thick comforters that padded him from the supplies boxing him, in Morgan looked at him contemplatively. Rick could feel his eyes burning into him, but he tried to ignore it. He was successful in doing so until Morgan snorted, and Rick couldn’t help but shoot him a glance of his own as he navigated the car over the sometime treacherous roads.

        “I can’t decide if it was fate that brought you to where Duane and I had hold up or just some amazing luck. For a man who just got out of a coma only to find out the world ended while you were out, yer handling this well. Hell man yer building up a supply cache that’s even better than what I had going back at the house. This camp we’re heading to is going to be hella lucky ta have ya in their ranks. Remember that if that wife of yers is there and tries starting crap. You could do this on yer own, ya don’t need to play nice with her.” the other man informed him in a serious tone. Rick but his bottom lip at that. He had the advantage here, so everything Morgan was impressed with made him feel like he was cheating somehow. He was only doing the things he had beat himself up for not doing the first time around. Hell he was lucky to have survived so long with the way he had handled things in the beginning.

        “Ex-Wife.” He suddenly murmured, correcting the term that Morgan had used. If he had that established before they got to the camp then it would be so much easier to reinforce later on. “She wanted the divorce, so I’m just going to give it to her. Aint like there’s courts around to grant it or anything. Times being like they are? I aint going to try and pretend I didn’t find those papers and play house with her. It'll only lead to trouble when it doesn't work out and we don't need that trouble.” Morgan grimaced, but he was also nodding in agreement. Rick grunted as the other man suddenly clapped a hand on his shoulder.

         “I’m not going to lie Grimes, when ya first see her it’s gonna be hard, but I have yer back. Ya here that? As much as you could pull this off on yer own ya don’t have ta. And I’m responsible for ya whether you like it or not since I’m yer Doctor now and all.” Morgan hummed, a teasing note taking over the seriousness in the last part of his declaration. Rick grinned to himself, having someone who had his back going into the camp would be nice. Considering he was going to be surrounded by people who he’d seen die and all. Hell it was going to be more than nice, he wouldn’t have been able to handle it for long to be honest. Not without going bat shit crazy again and he couldn’t afford to do that.

        “I have a feeling I’m going to get tired of this Doctor angle soon Morgan. You seem like the type to pull out the Doctor’s Orders card as often as the urge hits you.” Rick replied, drawing himself out of his thoughts to respond to the other man. Morgan laughed a deep belly laugh that seemed to echo in the car.

        “You have no idea Grimes. No idea at all.” the other man replied, still laughing slightly. Rick’s lips stretched further as he smiled, feeling lighter than he had in years. He had a plan, a good friend, and he was going to be seeing his people again soon. For the moment it didn’t even matter that they wouldn’t know him, that they wouldn’t trust him. He would have plenty of time to rebuild those relationships soon. Instead of responding to his friend's little taunt he just kept driving, keeping an eye out for any gas stations or stores as he did. He really wasn't kidding about beefing up their food supplies.


	3. Unavoidable Situations and Suprises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Look at this... Another update! I hope the lot of you guys enjoy it as much as you have the last two. And we'll see how this once a day updating goes ^.^
> 
> *Edited 3:12am 2/3/15 due to error spotted by Author, 2/9/15*

          Soon the trio were making their way past Atlanta, towards the camp and bypassing the city all together. Rick had stopped and raided several small stores and a gas station of their food, various supplies and a couple more cans of gas along the way. He was feeling pretty damn good about how this redo was going when it happened. Rick almost swerved the car into a approaching walker when Glen’s call for warbled out through the two walkies, the Asian pleading for help because a hoard had come and trapped his group in a store they had been foraging in. Fuck. God was laughing at Rick and his attempts at changing things wasn't he?

          The cop stopped the car as soon as he could with a violent curse and a punch to the steering wheel- he had been hoping that without his horse stunt the entrapment would have not have happened, but it looked like he wasn’t that lucky. It seemed like Glen and the others would get trapped there even without his influence and sadly enough that was a little comforting to the man if he was honest with himself. He had shouldered the blame for that mistake for a long time, and that had haunted him during his other choices, tainting them with an indecision. It had always been that haunting question of if it what he attempting was the smartest thing to do considering that he had almost got the group killed.

           Well it looked like he was going to be meeting his people sooner than he had expected, but he was adaptable and meeting them would give him an excuse for knowing where their camp was. He could do this and maybe score some more points with the group right off the bat by getting them out of trouble. At least this time he wasn’t going to end up looking like an idiot by getting himself trapped in a damn tank after getting surrounded by that herd. He still didn’t know what had possessed him to ride the horse into town like the last damn cowboy in the west the last time, looking back it had been one of his most idiotic moves that he had ever made. And that was saying something after some of the shit he had pulled over the last couple of years.  
    
           There was no situation where that action would ever make sense though, but he had done it and right now he hoped that he had just been confused from not being well back then. After all he had to consider the mental breaks he had experienced after that, so who's to say he wasn't a bit off now? Hell he couldn’t afford to repeat those trips from reality ever again. He had endangered his family so many times, but they had never turned away and even if they didn’t remember that loyalty he wouldn’t let them down again if he had a choice in it.

          “Rick? Those people sound done in for. Don’t dare you think about doing anything stupid now man. I already told ya I’m going ta have ta save you from idiotic moves, no need to prove me right just yet. We haven’t even made it ta that camps of yers yet.” Morgan warned, his voice stiff as he looked over the cop suspiciously as he anticipated just what the other man was planning to do. Rick looked at him sharply, unhappy with his reaction and the fact Morgan could tell he was planning on helping the people he was talking about. Was Rick really that transparent now? He must have gotten used to people just following what he had planned, because this challenge was annoying to be truthful. Even if he didn’t know the people on the other end of the radio he wouldn’t have just left them to die.

          “I aint leaving no man behind when I have a choice about it Morgan. Can I trust you with my supplies and for you to wait here until I come back or signal for ya? Or do I need to bring um with me and let you move on without me while I go get them outta that death trap?” He asked bluntly, eyeing a motorcycle that was parked just a few feet away  from them and unable to make himself look at his friend as he threw that ultimatum out there. The other man had really been there for him over the last couple days and he was acting like an ass to him because he didn't like being challenged. Morgan punched his shoulder hard, like he had during thier previous talk and making him look at him in reaction, unable to keep himself from seeing how the other man was taking his words.

          “Duane and I aint got no where to go without you taking us there Grimes. Get your fool ass self back here alive and without any life threatening wounds, that’s all I ask. We’ll wait a day here if need be, since none of those walkers are around currently. And if we leave then, we’ll make sure to leave your supplies-the guns and all in that you gathered the car next to the bike you’re eyeing over there.” He replied irately, obviously not happy with what he was saying and the situation in general but accepting it all the same.

           Rick grinned at him mischievously before hopping out of the car so he didn’t have a chance to think on what he had just approved of. He trusted Morgan, so he didn’t mind leaving his things with the other man. This Morgan wouldn’t even think of running off with his supplies, he wasn’t hardened like the future version of this man was when they had finally met up again. That version might have bolted with the cruisers contents, hell a lot of survivors would have by the time he had died. Life had gotten hard for every left breathing by then.

          “I’ll be back before night fall, I swear.” He promised earnestly, shutting the door behind him and then hot wiring the bike as quickly as he could. If Morgan changed his mind and actually tried to stop him this could be bad because that man was stubborn as hell. He stopped two miles outside of the walker group, by an all to familiar red sports car, the one that Glenn had taken before, or one similar to it in the least.

       Rick grabbed his radio from his belt, readying himself for the next step in this adventure- contact with his people. Morgan still had his radio of course, but he needed this to get a hold of Glenn because he wasn't going to get any closer to the building until the herd had moved on. And he wasn’t missing the irony of this. Before he was the one screwed at first contact after all. He promised himself he would only tease the Asian a little for this situation, since he had no idea how it could have gone, had gone down before. And hopefully Glenn never found out considering everything.

        “You- The Idiot’s stuck in the building over there- listen up. I’m going to make a distraction ta get those walkers away from ya’lls location, then the lot of you are going ta make a run for it when it’s clear okay? My companies about 4 miles out of town waiting on me at the moment, so let’s be quick about this.” He sing songed into the radio, gripping his trusty bed rail in one hand as he did. He wasn’t going to risk gunshots in this situation, so it was going to be a smash and run to get the others out of there.

        The last time he was the one looking like an foolish here though, so sue him if he was having fun while he took care of his people in their time of need. He didn’t wait for a response from the trapped people ,knowing that he had to get the timing right with this or it could turn on him in a split second. Rick took a deep breath before smashing the widow out of the car he’d stopped next to and setting the alarm off. He took off to the left and did the same to another car a mile out, creating two focal points of sound to attract the walkers to and drawing them from the building his people were in. They had used this method before, so he knew it would work out. He just needed to get out of the way now before he got caught in his own trap.

         Then the cop circled back to the store he remembered the group getting trapped in last time on impulse, he wasn’t about to miss seeing his people alive for the first time. Not after he had just saved thier asses. When Rick got there he saw no walkers, only one very agitated group peering out of the building into the suddenly clear streets in confusion. They had to get moving and soon even if they were looking confused as hell at the sudden lack of walkers loitering about. Those things wouldn’t stay away for too long and waiting for them to come back was just stupid.

         “Well come on, don’t just stare! There’s a van right over here you guys can use without an issue.” He declared cheerfully, motioning to the vehicle that they had used to escape in before. He knew that it would provide transport, and parts Dale needed now so they needed to take it with them. Funny how he was thinking about what would be provided by the things they grabbed even now. The group didn’t need to be told twice and they all ran from the building and into the street It was only after that the last one was out of the building that Rick was faced with his next surprise, and hell this one was ranked about the same as this redo.

           Instead of Merle Dixon coming out of the building with the others, his brother was there in his place amazingly enough. Rick stared at the familiar form of his lover in shock, not believing that he was really there. What had changed to make Daryl switch places with Merle? He had been prepared to fight the other man tooth and nail to be part of Daryl’s life, but now he got to meet Daryl before Merle. Luck was in his favor if he played his cards right. Hell he might be able to even plant the seeds of attraction if he was careful in how he handled this.

           Daryl broke off from the group as soon as he was out of the building and ran to him, his bow in his hands and a wide grin on his normally closed off face as his eyes scanned over Rick’s form with a greedy, almost hungry look in his eyes. When Rick looked the other man in the eyes he saw his Daryl though, and that made Rick’s heart jump in relief and surprise. Okay this was a bigger surprise than waking up to redo it all. Daryl, his Daryl was here too.

          Suddenly Rick knew he was going to be able to keep his people alive this time. Daryl always had his back and with the other man knowing the future too? Well if Rick missed anything Daryl would pick up the slack and get things done the way they needed to be. The other man always had promised that he wasn’t ever going to leave him, but he had never expected him to keep his word this well.

          “Scoot on back Darling, I’ll do the driving now, ya did ya part and yer looking a too bit peekish fer my liking. We best get ya into camp where we can rest fer a bit.” He grunted with a wicked smirk and a wink in his direction. Rick rolled his eyes before moving back in the seat and letting Daryl settle in front of him without a second thought. He didn’t hesitate in wrapping his arms around the other man’s waist as soon as he was settled onto the bike and laying his head on the other man’s back after a moment’s pause. Rick relished in being able to hold him again, to feel his chest expanding as he breathed evenly and the heat coming off his body. Fuck the last time he has seen his lover the other man had been dead, a bite on his arm and a sluggishly bleeding wound in his skull from Rick’s knife. His Daryl was alive and well now and Rick would kill to keep him that way.

          He had thought just having the other man alive was the best this was going to get, but fate liked to mess around with him it seemed. Hell if he was right in this being his Daryl then it changed everything, and from what little had been spoken he knew he was right. He gathered himself, and tried to ease his pounding heart. He had to be calm about this though, they were going to camp and he couldn’t be a mess when he got there. Daryl was here, and he was with him, that had to be enough for him. As the van started Daryl revved the motorcycle, signally he was ready to leave as soon as they started moving their vehicle.

         “Fuck Daryl, am I glad to see you.” He whispered into the other man’s ear, unable to help himself from saying something after remembering the last time he had seen him. Daryl snorted under his breath, one hand grasping the one that Rick had around his waist briefly, comfortingly as if to prove that he was still there and wasn’t going to go anywhere. Rick squeezed back, leaning into him harder as he did.

         “Wasn’t about to miss catching you before Ms. Lori got her hooks inta ya Blue Eyes. That and this way Merle aint gotta loose his hand or nuthing cause he was being a dumb ass and ya had to do what was needed to protect that lot. I see you decided not ta take the horse, smart move there though if our Glenn knew he’d be pouting. Little China man loved telling his story about the idiot cowboy riding inta town after all.” He replied a sly amusement in his voice, before taking off after the van as it started moving.

          Rick tightened his grip at the verbal confirmation that this was his Daryl, not the one who should be here as impossible as it sounded. Words couldn’t express just what Rick was feeling right now. Because damn it he had never even dared to imagine that he wouldn’t be alone in this cosmic mix up. And now he had his entire world back with him and he wasn’t about to waste a damn second of this chance.

          “I was coming for you baby. Swear I was, even if I had to fight ta make you see me in the way ya did before. I was prepared for a fight even, considering I wasn’t about to make tha mistake of leaving Merle behind this time.” He announced, his voice cracking as he spoke, admitting what he hadn’t even really done to himself. “I didn’t think it would be you but I figured I had a chance to change things this time and I wasn’t going to let what happened repeat.” The cycle settled in at a smooth speed, in Morgan’s direction and well out of the herd’s way, which was just fine with the cop as he held onto Daryl.

          Daryl’s left arm tightened over his bicep in a move that felt possessive and comforting at the same time. Fuck Rick had been here about a week now and he hadn’t given himself time to think about how much he missed this man,but he had. And now he had him back and he wasn’t ever going to let him go. It was going to be hard, considering they were heading into a camp that didn’t expect them to know each other, let alone be involved. And hell he didn’t think he could explain knowing and loving Daryl without looking like a cheating asshole. He resisted the urge to snort. Somehow he didn’t mind that label if he got Daryl in his tent every night. This world wasn’t one that you wasted time or chances in after all.

          “I didn’t think I had a chance in hell of the Rick riding into town being you either Darling. Figured I’d be seducing you out of good ol Lori’s tent in fact, and I was ready for the battle too. When I woke up a week ago I thought I’d done gone insane. All those dead people up and walking about alive and completely unaware of what was ta come. Went hunting to clear my mind for a bit when I got fed up of how stupid the were now, then I noticed what should be happening and volunteered myself ta come inta town to be yer welcome wagon. I was gonna fight dirty and let yer wife’s little thing with Shane out if I had ta.” He threw over his shoulder with a grunt and actually sounded sheepish. Rick pressed a kiss to his back, the only place he could reach for now but perfectly happy with it. Whatever goddamn thing was going on was a miracle in his eyes now more than ever.

          Rick wasn’t entirely sure that his grand plans would have worked if Daryl hadn’t been his version to be completely honest. If he factored in the fact that he had been going to make sure Merle stuck around? Well part of him was sure that the Daryl he had known in the beginning the first time around wouldn’t have looked twice at him if his brother had been there. And his brother’s absence had let the other man experience a hell of a lot of personal growth that had made him into the man Rick was head over heels for. But Rick didn’t have to worry about all that now. No instead he had to plan his people’s next move.

         “We save them this time. No second chances for that damned Governor, no CDC, no Terminus, no Grady. We make that prison our home and we defend it with everything we have and we live. We know Eugene was a liar so there’s no need ta be fooled by his pretty promises. This time we’re not going ta just survive.” He rumbled, angrily breaking himself from the way his thoughts had started going. Daryl snorted at his statement and Rick could imagine the look on his face as he did. Fond exasperation.

         “Damn right we will. We o that after we pick up the farmer and his people though, aint about ta leave them with thier barn full of walkers, and Maggie would come back from her grave if we stopped her and Glenn from ever becoming a thing. Whatcha going to do about crazy eyes though? I aint about to let him go off the rails on you again this time around if I have a say so. I haven’t forgot dat asshole tried killing ya before, hell ya only made it out of his attack alive by chance. If ya’d been slower, or more trusting I woulda lost ya before I even had ya.” He asked loudly, over the roar of the wind, as Rick scanned for where he left Morgan and Duane in the horizon. Rick snorted this time, at a loss on how to respond to that last question to be honest.

         He didn’t have a clear plan on how to handle Shane yet, what happened with his brother was a combination of things. Loosing Lori, loosing power, loosing him- his trust his friendship. He had to believe that if he gave Shane a real chance, if he supported him, that it wouldn’t happen that way again. He had been half insane with Lori’s manipulations himself before, when he had killed the other man, so if he kept his cool he believed he could save Shane before it was too late. If it wasn’t too late already that is.

         “I’m not playing house with Lori this time around for one thing. Other than that I just gotta be his friend and see how the wind blows, he wasn’t always bat shit crazy ya know? That happened after the world went to hell and everything with Lori happened.  Judith is his baby- we both know that based on the timing of Lori’s pregnancy and how long I was in a coma. The chance I got her pregnant after getting back is slim to none, so I gotta accept that.” He grunted out, forcing himself to admit the last part. It hurt to say that, to admit that Judy wasn’t his baby girl, Daryl’s baby girl. “Slow down- Morgan and his son are right up ahead here, they have the supplies I’ve gathered so far.” He added, his tone relaxing slightly as he spoke about his friend. Daryl obediently slowed down and Rick grinned to himself. This was his lover, his partner.

         “I know Lil Asskicker probably isn’t yours by blood and if he lives she’ll be his in his mind. But we don’t know what we can change about what’s ta come. I aint never turning my back on that little girl though and I know you aint neither. So get whatever notion about loosing your little girl outta that fool head of yours before we even make it ta yer camp. It’s good to hear you got that one fucker out before he got his kid killed though. He was a crazy asshole when we ran inta him.” Daryl replied, slowing at a cop car that was stopped in the road. A familiar form got out of the car as they stopped, looking angry as hell as he did and Rick suddenly realized Morgan had heard his call to the others too. And he really did not look too pleased with how the cop had decided to handle his rescue run.

         “Off the bike you insane little white boy. Do you realize just how stupid doing that was? I about had a heart attack when I hear your little announcement, I didn’t agree ta let ya go after that group just fer ya ta almost get yerself killed by leading that herd right at ya. I was right, yer a damn troublemaker, and I’m gonna have my hands full with ya. All it would have taken was one damn wrong move and you woulda been torn apart on the ground and I’d be decking the idiot who got them trapped there after finda ya and putting ya down..” He hissed, sounding just like an angry cat as he looked at Rick over the Hunter’s shoulder. Daryl snorted at the rant, looking over Morgan disdainfully as if the reprimand was an insult that he took personally.

         “Officer Friendly here knows how to cover his ass so don’t get yer panties in a twist. Now follow us, I’m pretty sure Rick here promised you a camp or something, and it’s going ta be dark soon. I'd prefer if we weren't out in the open when that happens.” He replied for Rick, his voice hard as he looked over the older man defensivly. Morgan looked at him distrustfully as the van pulled up to stop, then he looked to Rick worry clear in his eyes. His body language screamed that he wasn’t comfortable with the situation and the anger had all but left his eyes. Instead he looked worried now.

         “I aint moving until that man on the back of your bike is back into our car safe and sound. He’s my responsibility, my person and I aint leaving him if ya didn’t get the gist of my little rant just now. Grimes, get yer ass moving, Duane’s not too happy with ya either and he'd like a word with ya.” He said stiffly, looking like he was preparing for a fight if he wasn’t obeyed right then and there. Rick couldn’t help himself, he laughed at that statement just as Daryl growled.

         “Like hell he is! Rick aint leaving my sight again, ya understand that mister? Ya do hear that right?” Daryl hissed in a low tone, a possessive note clear in his voice that sent shivers down Rick’s spine. Rick was uncomfortably aware of the fact that Glen and the rest of them were watching them though and that possessiveness wasn’t warranted given they were supposed to be strangers. Morgan grimaced tightly, his hand going to the handgun that Rick had given him as he did. Rick stiffened at that. He needed to fix this, because he wasn’t going to let Daryl get shot by his friend and Daryl wasn’t going to give in to Morgan’s demands. Hell if he got off this damn bike Daryl would be pissed at him, not that he could blame him after everything they had been through.

         “Morgan, stop this right now. I know Daryl here, he’s a Detective from Atlanta PD, Undercover unit. He thought I was dead until my little stunt just now so he’d really not in the mood for me ta go gallivanting off with someone he don’t know right now. Just like you. Okay?” He intoned, willing to lie to stop this from escalating and to give them some sort of cover story for the future in the process. He could tell his partner wasn’t going to leave him alone by any shot so he had to have something to explain why Daryl knew him.

         And they would need a reason for that once they got to the camp in the least. There was no one around to confirm his story so he could do this, he could wing it and provide them a solid alibi for the future. Daryl had been on Atlanta’s force before the world ended so that much wasn’t a lie, but Rick had never met him back then. Morgan froze at his statement though, the hard lines of his face easing as he looked over Daryl again, understanding on his face. He nodded once, clearly seeing the man in a new light now that he knew they had known eachother before.

        “Well shit White Boy. Why didn’t you just say so before I got so worked up? He looks like some biker druggie to say the least. I wasn’t about to leave you with him if he was, considering yer still on the mend and all. You have the damnedest luck though. I swear I’m going ta end up having a heart attack cause of ya Grimes. Go on and get going, I’ll be right behind ya’ll.” He said relaxing, smiling at Daryl who had hung his head as soon as Rick had revealed that he’d been a cop too. As far as the cop knew Daryl had only ever admitted that to him, preferring whatever impression people got of him. If they didn’t know that he was a cop they tended to underestimate him, seeing only what they wanted to and he played on that well.

         Rick could hear his lover grumbling under his breath- about Rick revealing his previous job in front of his group and Morgan’s assumptions, and he had to smile. Some things would never change, and Daryl liked hiding behind the scenes too much to have his personal information aired like that. He just hoped that the other man didn’t stay too upset with him for long. That would just suck. Instead of focussing on that Rick caught his friend’s eyes, deciding to put the next plan into action now.

         “You have no idea about my so called luck Morgan, Daryl filled me in on the camp. My boy’s there. With his mother. My partner on the force got them out according to him.” He shot back, getting that bombshell out of the way. Morgan froze at his words, and looked at him again sharply, his lips twitching in an almost snarl as his statement registered. It reminded Rick of Morgan’s various comments from the past week and he could see the other man stiffening, preparing for a fight he saw coming as soon as they got into camp. After his reaction to Daryl's possessiveness Lori wasn't going to know what hit her if she started giving him problems.

        “Good on your boy being alive, but whatcha going to do about the Ex-Missus? I'd like ta know so I have an idea about how ta go about acting when I finally meet her in person and all. I still remember when ya found the divorce papers she filed while you were in yer coma when e stopped at yer house and I ain't gonna put up with her if she starts causing you problems after that.” He asked firmly, although Rick didn’t know why he tossed that last bit into his statement considering the newcomers around them. Daryl laughed then, his head shooting up and he looked over his shoulder at the man behind him on the bike. His grin was almost blinding, and Rick felt his groin stirring with interest at the other man’s joyful look.

         God it had been weeks since they had last had sex in the future, let alone much of anything else to be honest. With no safe place it would have been suicide to even try anything more than quick kisses and fond touches and they really hadn’t even tried that in the end. There had been too many walkers and too little safety to even think about taking time like that for themselves.

         “Ya forgot to mention that part ta when ya were filling me in on what’s happened to ya so far Grimes. Makes my life a whole hell of a lot easier since I was trying ta figure out how to tell ya she’s been playing house with your partner that I told ya was no good years ago and all.” He grunted, sounding a little mean as he spoke, and Rick was sure that no one else could hear the glee hidden in his voice. But he could and it sent thrills through him as he was reminded that Daryl still wanted him, and he wouldn't just stand by and miss out on a thing this time around.

         Morgan grimaced at that statement though, his eyes darkening as Daryl's words registered and Rick remembered that he had predicted Lori moving on days ago. Well hell, Morgan was going to be heading inta camp ready for war, and that was that. It felt odd, having this man ready to stick up for him, but he’d claimed Rick as his person, and Rick knew that feeling of responsibility all too well. Hell this was going to be fun, note the sarcasm. He grunted suddenly and Morgan looked at him with concern clear in his gaze, trying to gauge his reaction to this news, and Rick couldn’t bring himself to fake a thing. He had dealt with this already, so he just shook his head firmly. Morgan sighed, rubbing his face hard, before looking at him again, a grim expression painted there.

          “I can’t see this going well at all if that woman moved onta yer best friend Grimes. Remember I have yer back if she tries anything at all. I promise. And that includes her new man too.” He reassured him firmly, before heading to the car, and shutting the door behind him with a slam that showed just how upset he was. Rick was glad that he hadn’t done or said  anything more than that though, he still had to figure out just how he was going to react at camp and he had to keep those reactions consistent. Daryl snorted at the other man’s reaction to his little announcement, before riding ahead of the group without another word, Rick holding onto his waist tightly as they did.


	4. Riding Home and Serious Talks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: The update for today. It's not as long as the last two, but hehe maybe that just means I'll post another today. Maybe not though. I hope that you guys enjoy this as much as you have the previous ones. I know I love it!
> 
> *Edited 2/9/2015

         Morgan and Glenn both fell in line behind them with their vehicles easily as they headed towards camp, towards the rest of their people. Rick smirked to himself a little, feeling giddy- this portion of the group knew about the divorce papers thanks to Morgan’s announcement, and they knew that he knew about Shane and Lori’s tryst. When he moved on they wouldn’t say a thing against him, in fact they might even stick up for him considering he had saved them and that was freaking amazing to know this early on. He planted a comforting kiss to the back of Daryl’s neck as he drove and let a hand drop to his crotch as he daringly copped a feel of the other man as he drove. His smirk widened at the reaction he received from that movement.

         Daryl groaned at his touch, shifting his hips and pushing his half hard cock into the other man’s hand in a smooth motion without the bike straying from it’s path on the road and letting the people following know that anything was happening. Rick hummed and bit back a smug smile, pressing his hand down a little more firmly into his lover's groin and letting his fingers trace the slowly filling outline as he did. Daryl grunted, shifting ever so slightly against him as he did and Rick kissed his neck, loving the reactions he was getting. They had a good half an hours drive until they reached camp still and he couldn’t find a reason not to tease his lover a little on the way there. It had been far too long since he had done this, had felt the heavy weight of Daryl leaning against him and his lean muscles flexing under his hand as he drove the other man insane knowing he couldn't react much. Rick couldn’t resist this one indulgence even if he tried.  
   
         He wanted to enjoy this time that he had with his lover before he had to deal with what was going to happen at the camp, and hell he needed to reassure himself that this was real. That his lover was right here, and that he was still his. Call him selfish, but he didn’t care about much of anything else in this moment; just the feel of Daryl against him and the noises that the other man was making while he was trying to stay in control. Half of the cop wanted to see how far he could push the other man with him still staying that stoic, composed man he knew and loved. 

        Rick had Daryl and right now that was all he really needed to keep himself calm and centered as they drove into what he knew was going to be an unknown situation that he had to stay in control of, in fact it was all he wanted until they got to camp and he had to become the leader he had been again. The group couldn’t stay where they were, but from what he remembered they weren’t ready to accept that yet and it was going to get them killed if he didn’t act. It was one of the first things Rick needed to change. He was pulled back into the moment when Daryl huffed under his breath, sounding frustrated as hell with that one sound as he flexed his hips up into the hands that had stilled when he had started thinking. Rick bit his lower lip and gave another firm stroke to the now hardened flesh under his hand.

        “Don’t you be getting me all hard and shit before we go riding inta camp ya asshole. That aint fair. I know we aint getting a chance to go off by ourselves till night falls and that’s only if we’re lucky and no one decides ta make a scene. When we do get our chance then I’m going ta open your pretty little ass up and make ya let tha whole camp know who yer with though. I aint loosing ya again.” Daryl taunted with a husky groan, his smooth voice easily overcoming the sound of the rushing wind around them. It was Rick’s turn to groan as that one sentence turned that stirring of interest into a raging hard on that made his pants uncomfortably tight considering he was straddling a rumbling machine and all. He bit his lip again, harder this time in an attempt to try to calm his suddenly active libido. That damned thing chose the most inopportune times to decide to show that it was alive and well too.

       “Please don’t make promises you can’t keep right now. I’m gonna be walking around with a permanete hard on for a couple days at this rate.” He growled out, his voice hoarse and knowing that even tonight they probably wouldn’t get a chance to do a thing together. Hell it wasn’t looking to good for the foreseeable future even. He knew his ex-wife. There was going to be a whole lot of crap going on in the camp tonight after he showed his face. And it wouldn’t just be happening with Lori and Shane either.

         A man didn’t just come back from the dead and separate from his wife without causing waves in the flow of things around him and he knew that his camp liked to be nosey even if they liked to pretend they weren’t. He had lived with them for years before, so he knew thier habits well enough to know how certain people would react to this. Andrea, Dale- they might like him 'abandoning' Lori, he could only hope that he could convince them that his marriage had been over before this mess had happened. There were going to be a lot of questions and explanations flying around the camp and he was going to have to acknowledge them all if he wanted to build up thier trust in him and get them to see him as a person to follow. Daryl grunted, drawing him back out of his thoughts- but the other man was rutting into his hand this time.

         “I always keep my promises Grimes. Haven’t ya figured that out yet? I ain’t letting ya out of my sight again though, bad things happen when we separate and I ain’t about to leave ya again if I can help it. So before ya get it in yer head to complain about me hovering later on I want ya remember that. Ya aint getting yerself killed again.” He finally grunted, sounding angry for some reason as he spoke. It was like he was talking about something else at the same time as he was reponding to the response that Rick had made unthinking of how it would sound to the other man and he was furious with Rick for whatever else he was talking about. The cop shifted, and suddenly the air of sexual tension was replaced with something heavier and even a little unpleasent. Even Rick’s libido took notice, the uncomfortable pants loosening as his arousal retreated to wherever it had snuck out of.

        As his heart dropped he saw that they were getting closer to camp after a stretch of silence, Rick didn’t know how to respond to that statement so he hadn’t yet. Then he noticed the fact that Daryl was in fact slowing down the closer they got to the camp. The hunter waved the van and cop car ahead suddenly as he stopped the bike completely on the side of the road before the large hill that Rick knew had thier camp on the other side. This was it, he was going to be seeing his son and all the people he had failed soon, but not just yet. From the tenseness in Daryl’s form he had something to say before that happened.

        After the two cars passed the hill, obscuring the two men from their sight line, Daryl propped the bike on the kickstand and got off without a single word. The hunter turned in his direction suddenly, looking at him with blazing eyes that looked pissed to say the least. Daryl obviously had questions that he needed answers to and he couldn’t wait until they had a chance to talk later. Well who was he to deny Daryl that after what they had gone through? Rick got off the bike himself and waited for the storm that was brewing in his lover to hit.

        “Tell me one thing, was it me that got ya in the end? Did ya not get me in time and I killed ya? Ya had ta die to be here Darling, I’m not a fool considering just what I rememba last. Ah really don’t know how to feel about that. I need ta know, cause I told ya you’d get stupid without me and I was hoping that I was wrong.” His lover growled, angry, worried and guilty sounding all at once. Rick sighed and shook his head as everything clicked into place. Of course the way he had died and gotten here would be on his lover’s mind. Daryl had died before him with that warning on his lips, that was the last thing he knew had happened and he was feeling guilty for it. Damnit to hell.

        Rick had seen him die, so right now he was only feeling relieved he was alive with him. Daryl didn’t have that pure relief that he did, his was mixed with grief and anger for what had gotten Rick here. The hunter wanted to know how Rick had died because the other man had been alive when the fever took away his senses, before Rick had forced himself to stab his hunting knife into Daryl’s temple to end him. Daryl thought that he hadn't been able to do that, and he had gotten himself killed because of his love for him. Well that wouldn't do at all, Rick swallowed hard and got ready to respond.

     “I didn’t let you turn Darling, I put ya down before that was even an option, I promise ya. I just suffered a break that was ten times worse than the Lori’s death breakdown after I made myself do it. I got bit in my mad charge to kill any and every walker I saw and I ran out of bullets then too. I only realized it when I snapped myself out of it. So I locked myself up with you and then the fever hit and I passed out, expecting to be a walker soon. But when I woke up I was in that damned hospital bed, and back before everything happened.” He replied softly, his voice cracking as he explained what happened as gently as he could without stopping and breaking down himself in the process.

      Talking about Daryl’s death, his own death after his stupidity wasn’t exactly easy for him, but he could only imagine what it was like for his lover to actually hear. Not when Daryl had spent so long saving his ass and keeping him from dying only to have his fear of Rick dying the minute he couldn’t help him confirmed. Daryl groaned low if his throat, before kissing him hard, his hands grasping Rick almost painfully as teeth and tongues collided in a violent dance. Rick wasn’t sure where that reaction came from, but he gave as much as he got glad the other man was't screaming at him for admitting that he had been right. Daryl growled loudly as he responded, his grip tightening and kissing him harder, and with more than a little desperation present in it. It was almost like the other man was afraid he was going to disappear.

      One hand held the back of Rick’s head, fingers tangled in his curls tightly and the other one held onto his lower back possessively, leaving bruises where his finger dug into his skin for sure. Rick’s hands mirrored his though and he kissed back just as hungrily, just as violently as he let himself react to his lover really being here physically like he had wanted to since he had seen him jogging out of that store. It wasn't enough and they both knew it, but neither made the move to further the embrace so thier belts stayed buckled and thier shirts on.

       They kissed each other for a couple of minutes, shutting out the world around them while they did, before Daryl growled deep in his throat and pulled away abruptly. His blue eyes were dark with frustration, and for a moment all Rick felt was a dazed confusion about that was happening and why Daryl had pulled away from him when he still wanted more. Then the other man looked to the camp’s direction, making Rick curse to himself as he realized what his hunter was saying without words. They couldn’t exactly take their time for their reunion now, in fact thier time was running out.

      The others from the group they had traveled in with would be arriving in the camp at any moment and Morgan would come looking for him if he was too far behind them because while he might have let him stay with Daryl he didn't trust the other man yet. He didn’t even want to know how the Doctor would react to finding him in this position, let alone how whoever came with him would react to Daryl's involvement. So the two men needed to pull themselves together and get moving again, plain and simple. Unless they wanted to find out what would happen that is.

       “Right, we need to get to camp before someone came ta get us, and it would be all kinds of bad for them to find ya balls deep in me before I can ‘divorce’ my wife.” He grumbled under his breath, reinforcing his resolve by saying it out loud but disappointed with having to admitt it all the same. Daryl snickered at his statement and his tone, looking amused as he watch him, that fire still burning in his eyes as his gaze drifted over Rick’s body with a look that told the other man he wouldn't mind stripping him bare and bending him over the bike they had been riding. The cop squirmed at that look, his pants damned uncomfortable again as his libido perked up and his cock filled and suddenly he dreaded getting back on that bike even for a short time. He was going to be sore as hell when he got off of it this time.

       “Best get ya ta camp so ya can stir up the pot with the locals Darling. I’ll fill ya up as soon as we get the chance. Promise, ya just remember that ya aint allowed to be bit again and we'll be just fine. I'm serious about not loosing ya again.” He said with a grunt, getting back on the bike and motioning for the other man to do the same. Rick sighed before climbing on again gingerly trying to adjust himself so nothing pinched and holding Daryl’s waist with all his might after he had settled. When they got back to camp he wasn’t going to be able to do this for a while, not when he had to explain why he was suddenly leaving Lori after just finding her and thier son alive. While he was loving having his Daryl there to have his back there wasn’t going to be a choice of having that transition period of seducing the other man back into his bed that he had been counting on. People would just have to deal with it then, because he was crap at pretending anyways.

       “Promises, promises. Dealing with Lori and her crap is going to be an ordeal that needs one hell of a treat to make up for it I swear. And I aint planning on going down anytime soon, so doncha worry about that.” he grumbled finally, grinning to himself as his lover started laughing softly as he started moving the bike again and they made their way into camp. He could handle this, he told himself. Daryl being the man that he lost changed nothing more than having one more ally at his side and his lover back. And he had always been stronger with Daryl by his side, and he always would be because Daryl never backed down. He stuck by his side no matter how hard it got, and Rick knew he would need that in the coming future.


	5. Arriving and Unexpected Reactions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Oh dear.... I'm late posting this one- but it's before 12 so it still counts as todays! I'm sorry for the delay, but the day was a lot more hectic than I originally planned.... Well I hope you all enjoy this as much as I do and please please don't kill me :P
> 
> *Edited 3:57am 2/3/15 due to Error found by Author, 2/9/2015*

      As they pulled into camp on the bike there was already a crowd around the van and his cruiser. Rick could see Dale, Andrea, Amy, and T-Dog among the faces gathered, which hurt and made him feel relieved at the same time. He remembered how each of them died, how he failed them, and for a moment it was too much for him to handle. Rick’s throat clogged as his eyes started to tear up as the guilt and other emotions he was feeling crashed into him sharply. He knew that Daryl could tell what he was feeling, because one of his hands left the handlebar of the bike and gripped onto his hand tightly, reassuringly and that helped.

     Then Rick saw someone else and he squeezed his lover’s hand tightly before letting go of it, not wanting to out them as a couple just yet and knowing Shane would be able to see it if he didn't put some space between them. Shane turned then, looking up to see who else had arrived in the camp but he froze in shock and his mouth dropped open slightly as he saw them. Rick could see a sudden sheen of tears forming in the other man’s eyes clearly as he stared at him, and Rick felt a stab of pain in his heart as he straightened up from leaning on Daryl.

      How ironic was this? Before, in the future that he had live, he had all but ignored Shane and how his partner had reacted to his sudden arrival in his camp. He’d been too caught up with Carl and Lori at first, and then after he’d been too caught up in other things. Things like surviving and seething silently over the fact that he could tell Lori and Shane had been sleeping together. But  as he looked at Shane now? The man cared that he was alive, and Rick could almost see the guilt of leaving him behind crashing into him. Well at least he had something to work with now, somehow he didn't think it would take much to get his self proclaimed brother’s sanity stabilized if he still cared about Rick this much. Or that’s what Rick hoped, but he had to act now before Shane felt rejected or ignored. Batter up! It was his time to act it seemed.

     “Shane you dog, step away from my cruiser! I didn’t say the crazy bunch I rescued from the store in town could raid my supplies just yet so cool your horses before you start helping yourself.” He shouted cheerfully over the noise of the bike as Daryl slowed and parked finally. Everyone who was gathered around the already parked vehicles looked over to them, curious as to what was happening and who he was. Rick saw Morgan’s fist clench from the corner of his eye and winced inwardly. The Doctor had been talking to Shane in a friendly manner just minutes before, his partner must have recognized the cruiser had come from their station and had approached him to ask about it. After Daryl's little announcement Morgan was more then ready to hate the other cop for sleeping with Lori, or so it seemed

       Rick resisted a grimace as Morgan’s demeanor finished it's transformation from friendly and pleasant to dangerous and his friend looked like he was seriously contemplating throwing a punch at his partner. Well maybe more than a punch.. Alright, so he’d have to make sure that no one blamed Shane for sleeping with Lori and that included Morgan. The other man had already proved he had a bit of a temper, both in this time frame and the one that hadn't happened yet so Rick would have to keep an eye on him, if only for Shane’s sake. And if the others saw he didn't blame Shane that would do miracles in preventing sides from being formed and tensions  rising. Hopefully.

       Shane’s mouth closed quickly and Rick could see him swallow hard a couple times as his eyes darted frantically over Rick’s form sitting on the back of the bike. He looked utterly bewildered and disbelieving of the fact that he was really there. That he was alive. Rick didn’t see Lori or Carl yet, for which he was grateful. He needed to start dealing with Shane before he dived into that emotional well and to do that his partner needed his full attention. Something the other man hadn’t had in the other time line.

       “Rick?” He murmured finally, his eyes wide and his voice cracking as he spoke. Those same dark eyes narrowed as looked over him again though- focusing on his arms that were still wrapped around Daryl and the fact that he hadn’t let go yet. Rick felt a flash of alarm go through him as he realized Shane was thinking the correct thing as he took that in. Shane was assuming that he was attracted to Daryl. Shane who knew him all too well the way that his tastes ran considering that they had grown up together and he knew the signs first hand.

       Hell they had even experimented with each other, back before Rick met Lori and had decided that he was in love with her. Shane had been ready to try things with other people too by then, so there hadn’t been any jealousy issues with him dating Lori. That had come later, when it was clear that things were getting serious with her, but he had never really pressed the issue about going back to what they had.

       He cursed under his breath and hugged Daryl slightly before untangling himself from his lover and getting off the bike in a smooth motion. So Shane knew that he was attracted to the hunter. So what, maybe if the other man had feelings for Rick’s ex-wife like it seemed he had last time around then this might help this situation go smoothly. If Shane knew that he was ready to move on then he might not feel like he was in competition for her and that would help ground him.

      “That’s my name Shane, don’t wear it out. Thanks for the block in front my hospital room door brother, the change in clothes and side arm too. It all really helped me out in the long run when I was making my way out of there.” He replied, making sure to show how thankful he was in his tone of voice as he walked towards the other man with a grin. Shane bolted foreword as soon as he started moving and grabbed him into a tight hug. He buried his head in Rick’s shoulder, inhaling shakily and laughing brokenly as he held him as close as he could, but he was also careful in it- like he was afraid of hurting him.

       The man in uniform stiffened slightly as he felt the quick press of a kiss to his neck after a couple of moments though. Rick couldn’t believe that had just happened, but the skin where Shane’s lips were still tingled with the feeling of the kiss so it must have happened. Then Shane’s face was in front of his, so close- his forehead against his as he stared into his eyes. There were tears in Shane’s dark eyes, and his lips were tilting into a broken grin.

     “You tough son of a bitch. You were dead Rick, I couldn’t hear your damned heart when I listened for it. I swear it.” Shane whispered brokenly, his voice projecting guilt into the air. There was something in his eyes though, something that Rick hadn’t seen in this version of hell before. It was same thing that used to be there during their teens when they were hot and heavy, and then only appeared later in life when Shane got wasted and let Rick know just how jealous he was of Lori sometimes. Times where Rick had just let it slid because he was sure that Shane was just missing the carefree days where they had fun together and didn’t need anyone else because they had each other. He felt like an idiot for not taking it seriously now.

      Daryl was going to throw a fit when he realized that this Shane was attracted to him still. Rick had never expected that, not with how this had played out last time, but then again he hadn’t really paid attention to Shane. Not until he had started overtly making moves on Lori and then he’d only given the man negative attention. Hell Lori wasn’t the only reason Shane had gone off the deep end, he had just as much if not more blame on his shoulder. That much was clear now. He patted Shane’s back awkwardly as he heard Daryl growl possessively under his breath behind him. He had to break this up before Daryl took it into his own hands to make the other cop back off. The other man was wary of Shane because the incident where the insane version had tried killing him and had ended up dead, Rick needed a chance to explain this to him. But that would come later.

      “I knew it had to be something like that from the way ya left things Shane. And even though you thought I was gone you still took measures to keep me safe and I can’t thank ya enough for it. So the people I broke out of the store filled me in on the happenings and people in this camp.” He murmured softly, drawing away from the embrace as he brought up the subject of the other man and Lori.

       It might be too soon to bring the topic of the other man sleeping with his wife up, but Rick needed to get it out of the way before Lori showed up and started playing her doting wife routine. Shane’s eyes widened as he spoke and a look of pure shame passed over his expressive face as he yanked his hands away from Rick like he was being burned by touching him. The other cop backed away from him, stumbling as he started shaking.

      “We thought you were dead Rick, man. You gotta believe that I would not ever hurt you like that. I would have never touched her if I had known that you were still out there alive. God I feel sick.” He declared brokenly, tears falling out of his eyes as he clenched them shut and turned his head. Rick felt his heart clench at the statement and the sight of the stubborn man crying. This was his friend Shane, not the mad dog he had put down, or even the Shane of a week from now, but the one he’d known all his life.

       Rick held up a hand to try and stop the other man from saying more as the other man finally opened his eyes and looked at him like he was going to say something else. He couldn’t let this Shane devolve by falling into a cycle of self blame and hatred this time around. Shane had to know that Lori had wanted out of their marriage right now, and hopefully that fact helped ease whatever guilt he was feeling for having slept with her while he was put of the picture. That guilt would be Shane’s downfall if he let it.

      The deputy sheriff still didn’t know how sleeping with Lori fit in with his continued attraction to him though, but that was a puzzle for a later time. Preferably a time in which he could isolate himself from his friend and think over the last twelve years in peace. Rick had missed something huge when it came to Shane’s feelings for him, and he didn’t know how that could have happened. He had honestly thought that Shane had seen their teenage fooling around as just that. Fooling around that they had moved on from as soon as their interests had strayed to other people. God this was a mess and a half.

      “Morgan, can you get me the bag with the one bunch of papers I packed from my house in it?” He asked over Shane’s shoulder, looking at his friend with a serious expression. There were more people gathered around them, but no Carl or Lori yet, which was good. He needed to get this over with before they got here so he could deal with whatever reaction Shane had to his news. Morgan glared at his partner’s back in an almost defiant way, but the doctor brought the bag over to him all the same.

       Shane looked confused as Rick focused on him again, after nodding his thanks to Morgan who just grunted at him. The doctor did not look happy with what he was doing as he watched Rick dig into the bag and draw out the pack of damning papers. Rick knew from the past couple days with this man that he thought Shane was in the wrong for even touching Lori, and if this wasn’t the second time around Rick would have agreed with him. He had felt pissed off and betrayed when he had finally found out about their affair before, and he had not handled it well at all.

      “Rick? What’s going on here?” Shane asked, his voice hoarse and sounding worried as hell at the reaction he was getting from Rick in relation to the fact that he had slept with his wife. The dark haired man looked like he was expecting a punch to be thrown at any second, but Rick wasn’t about to do that. No he needed Shane calm, and punching him wouldn’t help anything. He had long accepted what had happened, and he had even killed the other man once so in all reality getting pissed off with him now was a stupid move. He wasn’t angry with the other man in any way shape or form right now- he was just worried about him. Rick just wanted him safe and alive this time around, and sane preferably if he could manage that.

      “Shane, it’s okay man. You know that Lori and I were having problems before I was shot. I’m not upset that the two of you have something going on now. I found these when I went home and it’s been a couple days since then. I had a whole lot of time to think about my marriage since then. I’d already decided that I wasn’t going ta continue banging my head and try to make my marriage work if I ever found her and Carl again when Daryl let me know what was going on. Ya don’t have ta feel guilty about what happened when ya honestly thought I was gone.” He responded, keeping his voice kind as he handled the paper in his hand. He was a little nervous about airing all of this in front of most of the camp. But in they would all know something was up soon enough- and Rick had learned hiding things never worked out in the end.

      “Lori drew them up when I was in the coma. So I’m not going to fly off the handle here because you two took comfort in each other when ya thought I was dead and rotting. The world is too damned fucked for me to fuck up a friendship over a woman who wanted out of the marriage when I was at my worst.” He explained, keeping his voice low and calm still. Shane took the papers from him and read through them quickly, his eyes darting over the paper in his hand as he flipped through the pages. The other man’s expressive face went blank as what he was holding registered in his mind, his eyes burning bright and his hands shaking more and more. He twirled and stalked toward camp suddenly as rage painted his face.

      “LORI Get yer ass over here now! We need to have a damned talk woman!” He barked loudly in the direction of the tents. Rick bit his bottom lip as he watched his partner storm away from him. It couldn’t be this easy to secure Shane’s sanity, could it? Daryl laid an arm across his shoulders- a possessive move that made Rick grin slightly. Daryl leaned closer to him as Lori came out of the crowd, meeting Shane half way and not seeing her ex-husband behind the crowd just yet. That was good, whatever was going through Shane’s mind needed to play out before she noticed him and threw herself at him like she had last time. Rick leaned into his lover, watching as Shane stopped in his steps and glared at Lori.

       “I saw what Crazy Eyes did when he hugged ya Darling. You two got some history there I should know about? Cause it looked like that man’s entire world was just righted when you two hugged, and I don’t know how ta feel about that.” He whispered out of the corner of his lips, in a low and slightly angry voice. Rick sighed at the tone, but gave a short nod to confirm what his lover was thinking and Daryl growled a curse that was almost loud enough to be heard by the others around them.

  
     “Fucking hell, this is just perfect.” Daryl muttered disdainfully as Shane waved the paper’s in Lori’s face angrily. She looked confused by his actions, and Rick couldn’t really blame her since she had no idea what the papers were while they were moving about like that. She was in for a big suprise though.

       “Shane? What are those?” She asked, her voice small, but calm as she spoke. Hell it was almost loving in a way and Rick’s gut turned violently. He remembered how she had acted towards his friend from the moment she had seen Rick was alive. She’d been hateful and almost cruel in the was she’d spoke to him. Fuck she had messed with Shane’s head more than he had known if this had been her normal behavior. Shane snorted like and angry bull before shoving the papers in question at her and forcing them into her hands with a glare that would strike her down if it could.

        “Those are the fucking divorce papers that you had drawn up the day Rick went into the coma. God Lori how cold hearted are you? I actually believed that bullshit about mourning him and needing ta feel close to him again.” Shane spat at her in disgust. Lori’s gasp was audible even from the 12 feet away.

        “Where the hell did you get these? I left them at the house, they were a mistake Shane. I didn’t really want a divorce, I was just so tired of everything- of the job always coming first, of waiting for the call you made to me. The call that said he’d been shot on duty.” She shrieked angrily, her voice bitter and accusing now- closer to the tones she had used with him before, in the time that Rick had to kill the other man or be killed himself. Rick reached up and squeezed Daryl’s hand before stepping out from under his arm as Shane snorted loudly at her statement. This was his cue to step in, and when he did all eyes would turn in his direction and away from the scene going on between Shane and Lori. He wasn’t ashamed of his lover, but he also didn’t want Daryl dragged into the fight that was going to come. Daryl would get enough of that when they came out later and right now it would only be amplified and seen as something akin to betrayal.

       “I got them from your very alive ex-husband who just saved the asses of our last scavenger party.” Shane sneered as Rick walked forward. He touched Shane’s shoulder gently, trying to calm him down because this had the potential to be explosive and Shane didn’t need that on his conscious. He literally felt the other man relax under his hand and he had to bite his cheek. He really was a damned idiot.

      “Calm down Brother. There is no need for the drama of calling her out on what she did in front of everyone. What’s done is done and over with. I found those days ago and I’ve accepted that our marriage had come to it’s end. There is no bitter feelings on my end over anything that happened when I was gone, I promise.” He spoke calmly, trying to inject some logic into the situation that was fueled by emotions. Lori’s eyes were huge as she looked at him though, and they were filling with tears as her fingers clutched the papers in her hand. Then her eyes narrowed as she looked away from him and focused on Shane again.

       “You told me he was dead Shane, that you saw him dead.” She spat out hatefully, looking at her lover with anger burning in her eyes. She spoke to Rick’s friend in the same tone he’d come to expect from her in relation to the other man and Rick’s guts turned even more. How could someone go from that loving tone to this? And how in gods name had Shane kept his shit together as long as he had before with this coming at him from Rick and the woman he had been sleeping with? God Rick should have found another way to react to Shane’s attack other than killing him. No matter what the other man had done he’d only been crying out for help where they had been none to receive because Rick had abandoned him and Lori was a cunt.  
   
       “Lori, stop it right now. Shane gave me the chance to survive when he left me in that bed, but I believe he thought I was dead. That man next to me? He’s stubborn enough that he would have gotten himself killed if he had thought I was still alive. So I’m damned glad he didn’t hear a heartbeat when he checked. HE saved you and Carl, so don’t you dare forget that.” He snapped finally, not able to take the way she was treating his friend. Morgan snorted at his defense of the man who had slept with his wife, drawing Shane’s attention but not Lori’s. Lori was glaring at Rick now, her pretty face twisted into something ugly.

     “Oh so you can’t fight for our marriage but you can snap at me to defend him for being a emotional rapist? I would have never touched him if I thought you were still alive Rick” She hissed, her voice just as ugly and twisted as her face was at the moment. Shane stiffened and stepped closer to him- solidarity, strength and comfort in his stance. Things he hadn’t gotten from walker-era!Shane before. It was Morgan who responded though, his dark eyes full of protectiveness for the man he now called friend.

       “I think Officer Grimes there is doing the smart thing when it comes to you Mrs Grimes, specially if yer calling the man ya jumped into the sack with a emotional rapist now. I loved my wife to death, but I knew she’d be around through thick and thin. From those papers Rick found you jumped ship when shit got hard. And then you jumped his partner from what the others told us. Ya don’t get to blame this man entirely for your bad decisions” He growled out, before looking at Rick and Shane’s positions. He didn’t seem to like Shane being so close to him, if Rick was reading the scowl on his face correctly. He may have defended Shane in a way just now, but he still didn’t like the other man at all.

      “Speaking of that, why don’t you grab the biker man Rick. He is going to show us around this camp and then you gotta pick out spot for us ta camp out until the lot of them move to some place better. If I learned anything from traveling with you the past couple days it’s that you have an eye for the easily defendable places out and I sure as hell don’t like this spot. There’s too many woods around this place, a herd of those things could come out and we’d be screwed.” He urged, and the cop knew he was trying to get him away from the other man. Rick let his hand drop from Shane’s shoulder and laughed under his breath.

       “We’ll get to that as soon as I find my son Morgan. I promise. And maybe you shouldn’t call Daryl a biker, even if he does have a fondness for them. He seems a little too amused and I don’t need him working out a persona to go with it. That might not go over too well on top of whatever one her’s got going in this camp.” He replied with a wry smile. Morgan snorted, looking over to the man who was watching Rick and his former partner out of the corner of his eyes with a grim look. He could see that the former undercover cop had feelings for his friend- had them from a while if his reactions to everything since Morgan had seen him ride up with Rick clinging to him was right. He winked at him, with a friendly grin on his face.

       If Morgan had a choice over who the troublemaker he’d taken under his wing went after that one had his vote. The gruff looking younger man seemed like he wouldn’t put up with Rick’s stunts, and boy did that crazy little shit need someone to keep him in line. He saw a grin tug at the other mans lips in response to his wink and he laughed to himself. Then Morgan’s attention was drawn back to Rick’s former partner. The man was looking at Rick possessively again, like Rick was his and he was marking his territory.

      “You know Dixion Rick?” He asked speculatively, his voice declaring his disbelief as he looked over the man in question. Morgan waited to see the other man’s reaction, keeping his own lips from twitching as the man who had slept with his best friend’s wife glared at the dirty blonde hunter. It wouldn’t be uncommon if this man didn’t know of his former partner’s association with the other man., but considering how Dixon had known about Shane and disapproved of him it would be interesting to know that Rick hadn’t shared his friendship with him with the people in his life. Rick laughed a little at the question, his lips spreading in a wide grin as he looked over at the man who was shifting at all of the attention.

       “Oh I know Dixon alright. He’s Atlanta PD, Under Cover go to man extraordinaire. I worked with him a couple times when I had cases there. Imagine my surprise when he strolled out of that store with the others. Although if anyone could survive this it would be him considering he bragged about getting lost in the woods when he was younger and his hunting skills all the time. He hasn’t exactly left my side since he realized I was the one who saved their asses though.” He explained easily, motioning at the man in question with a fondness in his eyes. Shane looked like he’d been punched at his words and his actions though, his eyes narrowing first on Rick, and then the other man who was now smirking at Rick.

       “That racist redneck is a cop? There’s no way in hell that is right. Ya haven’t seen how he’s acted Rick. He ain’t no cop.” He spat out angrily, feeling his anger rise. Both that piece of crap and his brother had given him shit over being a cop ever since they joined camp, so he found it hard to believe the long haired man was a fellow cop. No matter what Rick was trying to tell him. The youngest Dixon looked at him condescendingly, making him want to punch the crap out of him. Then the asshole looked at his partner.

       “Hell ya I’ve stuck by ya since ya showed yer skinny ass up Grimes. Last I knew yer stupid ass had gotten yerself shot and ya never made it out of the hospital partner. And as fer ya Officer Dick. Imagine my shock when Merle and I showed up and I recognized Grimes wife playing house with another man, then realized who ya were. Of course I gave ya crap, and kept my former job ta myself. I didn’t need ya playing buddy buddy with me when I was more likely ta punch the crap out of you and the missus, now did I?” He replied in an easy drawl. Rick snickered just a little bit, making both men look at him. He held up his hand.

        “Easy now there Shane, That wasn’t nothing more than me being amused by Daryl yanking your chain around. Given the situation he went light on ya. I’ve seen him do worse ta people for less than that.” He murmured, just before grunting as he was almost knocked over by a small body crashing into his before anyone else could say a thing. Carl was hugging his middle crying hard- sobbing even, and Rick saw Lori bit her lip as she looked at their son. She looked away as Rick started looking down at Carl, wrapping her arms around her middle as she did. Her arms hiding the paperwork that proved she had been walking away from her husband from her son’s eyes guiltily.

       “Dad, you’re alive and you’re here!” He barely hear Carl murmur into his waist where his face was buried. He hugged his son back as hard as he could, kissing his head and thanking god he had him in his arms again. How long had it been since he had seen this side of his son? He could feel the tears prickling his eyes as he just held him close, trying to calm him down. He hadn’t reacted this way last time, but then again he had been waiting for the group with his mother last time too and he had no idea what had altered that still. Sure the delay had helped him with the Shane front, but he didn’t like not knowing considering whatever caused that change could have other effects of the future- effects he couldn’t plan for.

        “I’m here now Carl. And I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I promise.” He whispered jaggedly, trying to keep himself calm so he didn’t upset his son even more. Because the truth was he had no idea where the Carl of before had ended up. Carl’s arms tightened around his waist almost painfully, and he must have winced or something because Shane’s hand landed on Carl’s shoulder a second later. His son stiffened at the contact and Rick looked up at his friend, unable to hold back a scowl at what he had caused.

        “He’s just fine right where he is Shane. You hugged me harder than he is just a couple minutes ago.” He soothed, trying to soften the instinctive look that he had given the other man because his mind knew that Shane was just being overprotective and paranoid that Rick would be hurt again. Shane’s eyes narrowed at his response, then he shook his head sharply, removing his hand from his son’s shoulder.

      “Carl hasn’t had the best couple days Rick, he’s been having nightmares that he wakes up screaming from and it’s kept his mother up since they started. I just wanted to make sure he didn’t hurt you or nothing. I know you’re still not fully healed from the way yer carrying yourself, but he don’t.” He explained gruffly. Rick rolled his eyes before kneeling down next to his son. He had to work to get his son to look him in the eyes, Carl didn’t seem to want to for some reason though. And when he succeeded he immediately picked his child up and shot a look to Daryl without thinking about it. The hunter moved over to him quickly, putting a hand on his shoulder to support him without a second thought to how the others might take this, or even react. It was the instinctive act of just being there for his lover that Rick appreciated more than he could ever explain.

      “That being said I think we should let Officer Friendly here and his friends scout their spots out. It’s going to be getting dark soon and they need to get familiar with camp and set up for the night. Everything else the lot of ya want can wait until that happens.” Daryl grunted out stiffly, his eyes glued to his lover and the boy he’d considered his son. Morgan nodded to the hunter, going back to the cruiser and grabbing the tents Rick had packed and a couple bags from the car. Duane followed his father’s lead, grabbing some more bags before they both came back to Rick and Daryl. As Rick made to follow Daryl and the other two away from the group with his son Lori made a noise in the back of her throat, drawing thier attention to her.

      “Rick already has a spot ta sleep. Carl and I have a tent already and our family should stay together.” She intoned stubbornly. Rick groaned inwardly at his words as Daryl, Morgan and Shane stiffened. He should have known Lori wasn’t going to just let this go, she wasn’t going to accept that thier marriage was over. Carl tightened his arms around his neck and Rick turned to look at his ex-wife fully.

       She didn’t flinch away from his look, but he wasn’t backing down from this either. Lori had pulled him around by his dick and ego during almost the first year of this before, and that couldn’t be allowed to happen again. It had gotten too many people killed because he was too damn blind to see past her bullshit. He knew that Daryl would use his crossbow on Lori before letting history repeat itself though.

       “Lori, I’m not sharing a tent with you ever again. Our marriage is over, ya knew that even before the world went ta crap just like ya know it now. Don’t make this inta a scene, just accept it and move on.” He replied bluntly, trying not to be cruel about it even though he needed to get it across to her. As her face fell Daryl rolled his eyes and moved forward- in a motion to lead them into the camp further.

      Lori tried grabbing Rick’s arm to stop him as he passed her but Shane interrupted her hand with his own, stopping her before she even made contact with the newly returned cop. She yanked it away from the dark haired cop, as if she had been burned by his touch, glaring at him with hate in her eyes and making Rick wince. He hoped to god that Shane didn’t actually love her like he had assumed the first time around, because this Lori’s attitude was going to be even worse when it came to Shane than the other ones had.

      “Don’t touch me again Shane! You told me he was dead and now look what’s going on now? My husband is leaving me and it’s all your fault!” She hissed hysterically in a shrill voice. Rick couldn’t ignore that, not when he was pretty sure Lori’s rejection had been part of Shane going nuts in the other timeline. He reached out and tapped Daryl’s shoulder and the hunter stopped walking. One look at him had the other man reaching for Carl gently, freeing Rick’s arms so he could do what he needed to. He moved away, taking Carl out of earshot so the young boy wouldn’t be blasted with whatever his father was going to say to his mother.

       “Lori Anne Callan-Grimes stop this at once. Shane’s done nothing wrong here. For all the two of you knew I was dead and gone when you did your thing. Just because I’m too stubborn to kick the bucket and actually made it doesn’t mean you get to punish him for something that it takes two to do. That’s not the reason our marriage is over and you know it though. We were so unhappy before and I aint living the rest of my life like that. Not when any of us could die at any moment.” He scolded, his voice sharp and disapproving of her behaviour. She gaped at him, like she couldn’t believe what was happening and then the slim woman almost ran back into camp as Shane grinned at Rick a little. Rick tried not to stiffen when the other man slapped his back like he had done so many times before.

       “Thanks for that Rick. For a second there I was a little afraid ya were going to change your mind and take her side of things. Ya normally do once she get’s bitchy after all.” Shane murmured under his breath and Rick winced because Shane was right. Over the last couple of years of his marriage to Lori all it had taken was for her to throw a temper tantrum and he had agreed with her to keep the peace in thier house.

       Daryl cleared his throat after a moment and Rick caught up to him without responding to Shane. Hell he didn’t know how to respond to the reactions he was getting out of the other man. Carl was comfortably curled in the other man’s arms which made Rick’s heart clench. Something was going on with his son because from what he remembered before everyone was wary of Daryl, until Sophia’s accident, in this time period. He brushed a lock of hair from his son’s forehead before focusing on figuring out where his tent was going and where to put Morgan and Duane down. Morgan was right when he said this place was a nightmare defense wise, because there were only a few spots he would trust and some were already occupied. They needed to leave this camp behind them as soon as possible.


	6. Setting Up Camp

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So 11 pm might be my weekday posting time- Sorry guys, but as promised here's another chapter. I'm still sticking to once a day! This one isn't a really long one, yeah... Enjoy!
> 
> *Edited 2/9/2015

       Rick had admit that he’d been amused to see that Daryl had his own tent this time around, and he had chosen to put his close by it because Daryl had an eye for places that were less vulnerable to attack and he trusted him. Of course his decision made Shane narrow his eyes and glower at the other officer when he thought no one was looking, but Rick didn't really pay any attention to that. Shane had tried to get Rick to set up next to his tent instead, but that wasn’t happening anytime soon. With Shane’s actions right after his arrival Rick didn’t need to appear to be sending his friend and past lover any kind of mixed signals. That had been something Lori had put the other version of his friend through, and Rick fully believed that had helped drive Shane insane.

        Rick needed to be careful about just how he interacted with Shane right now and he knew it. He had Daryl, and he wasn’t about to encourage Shane’s feelings because he was more then happy with his Hunter. If that happened then the future would repeat all over again, but with him starring in Lori’s place, and Daryl in his. And there was no way in hell the time displaced Rick would ever let that happen. Shane was going to get the hint that he wasn't interested, and he would live. He had to.

        Morgan was camped out about 15 feet from his position, in an equally safe area. Rick wasn’t about to let his friend, or the man’s son die now that he was with his group so he wanted them close in case something happened in the middle of the night. The cop had to trust that the group had enough skill to help keep those two alive if something happened during the day and he wasn’t there to help them though.

        Even so he made a note to somehow start a training schedule sometime soon. It had taken them far too long to come together as a cohesive unit before, and people had gotten killed during the process of that happening. Rick wasn’t about to sit around and let that part of history repeat itself, even though he knew that with the current mindset that everyone minus Daryl had it would be a problem. The others were still hoping that this would blow over, still trying to hold onto the remains of who they had been before this.

       Carl had stuck next to him or Daryl the whole time that they were setting up their tents, in fact he had been obsessive in not leaving their side even if he had stubbornly remained silent. Both of the older men had tried talking with the eerily silent boy, but he hadn’t said a word since he had clutched onto his father when he had seen him for the first time. His son's behavior was worrying Rick, because this hadn’t happened last time.

        His son had been happy to see him and just plain talkative before- eager to talk about what had been happened since Shane had saved them, there hadn’t been any sign of this bone deep relief that stank of guilt and remorse that Carl had no reason to be experiencing. Rick didn’t know what was happening to his child and he didn’t like it because this wasn’t something that he could protect Carl from. Whatever was going on in the young boys mind was a complete mystery to the two worried men.

      Lori had retreated to her tent during her mad dash from Rick earlier that day and she hadn’t shown her face since. Even though Rick knew she had to be pissed off with him, he was pissed that she hadn’t even swallowed her pride enough to come check on their son at any point since her retreat. Shane had made it clear that something had been off with Carl for days now earlier, when he had tried to stop Carl from hugging Rick too tightly and in Rick’s mind that meant Lori should be worried for the pre-teen and how he was taking his father’s sudden return into their lives more than anything  She should be acting like a mother right now instead of an overgrown child that was being denied the toy that she wanted, but she was doing just that in stubbornly staying in her tent and ignoring everyone around her. Like she was doing now.

         Rick watched as Andrea stormed up to the tent where his Ex-wife was hiding herself and then the blonde grabbed the top of the tent and shook it, rattling the whole tent as she did. He heard the muffled voice of his ex-wife croak out a demand for the headstrong woman to stop it, and Andrea just grunted in response. She stopped shaking the tent and put her hands on her hips, glaring at the tent as if she could set it on fire if she did so hard enough.

       “I’ve had enough of this crap Lori. Bohoo you slept with your husband’s best friend and now he’s back and he knows that you wanted out your marriage when he was lying in a coma. Who gives a crap? There are things to be done around camp and lying in your tent crying isn’t going to get them done now is it? Put on your big girl pants and get your ass out here. No one around here’s just gonna carry yer weight no matter what you seem ta think will happen.” Andrea’s lecturing tone carried across the camp and Rick bit back a grin at what she had to say to Lori. It was what the woman needed to hear to be frank.

       The bemused man had forgotten just how sassy the blonde could be over the years since her death, and that made him a little sad. Rick hadn’t realized the memory of his people had faded that much over time, but it had. Andrea had been strong even at this point in time and this time she wouldn’t die alone in the Governor’s grip. He wouldn’t let that happen to her again if he could help it, but in the back of his mind he knew no matter what he did he would lose some of these people. This world wasn’t made for everyone living, not with what they were facing out there and with how bad things were going to get if they followed along the same lines that the future had. Woodberry, Terminus, Grady. There were survivors out there that would hurt his people, would kill them and he didn’t know if he could prevent them all.

      “Your Ex is a piece of work Grimes. I’m happy ya found yer boy and all, but most of these people wouldn’t last a day on their own. Hell I don’t know how most of them lasted this long even in a group.” Morgan rumbled under his breath from right next to Rick, making him jump and knocking him out of his thoughts. He looked at his friend, who was surveying the camp with a critical eye and clearly finding it lacking.

      “Most of them have been in this camp since the beginning of all this from what I gather. They don’t really know how bad it’s getting out there so we can’t really blame them for acting like this Morgan. They haven't seen much of the way in walkers being cooped up here in camp after all.” He replied softly, arranging the bedding in his tent as he tried to defend how inexperienced his people were at this point in time. Morgan snorted at his statement, shaking his head slowly as he looked around the people in the camp. A lot of them were just sitting around relaxing like they didn't have a care in te world.

      “They need ta get with the program or they’ll get everyone killed by ignoring that the world changed on them. That Korean kid, Glenn? From what I understood when he decided to talk my ear off he’s normally the one that goes into the city for their supplies. Yer biker normally hunts along with his brother, that blonde over there fishes with her sister. But what does everyone else do? They sit around playing house and for a group this size that spells trouble. This place has no walls to keep the walkers out. Hell it doesn’t even have those string perimeters you rigged up for us when we were on the road. I gotta say I’m not that impressed with them.” He replied, his voice irate and sarcastic though Rick could tell he was being completely honest. It was kind of funny, considering less than a week ago this man had been hellbent on sticking around a house that his walker wife was wandering about outside of it. To be honest this was the type of man that Rick had always thought Morgan could be- if he wasn’t obsessed with his dead wife. He sighed, and even he could hear how tired it sounded.

      “I’m fully aware of how unprepared these people seem to survive in this Morgan. Daryl’s been talking to me about them and I know we need to get them to head out of here, but we gotta get them to trust us before we can do that or something needs ta happen ta clue them in on the reality of things. They’re comfortable here, and when people get comfortable they get damn stubborn. We can’t just demand that they move on, hell from what I’ve seen we have the men posturing about being the camp’s defense while the women are relegated to doing laundry.” Rick replied, his voice heavy as he voiced his thoughts out loud, and to a person who had no idea of the future he had lived. He may sound like he had it together to Morgan, but all he felt right now was a profound feeling of being lost. Thinking about everything now? It seemed like it was too much to actually change much of anything. There were so many damn variables to think about.

      Hell Rick hadn’t really had a chance to plan what was going to happen next out with Daryl yet and he needed to do that soon. They had one day tops before that herd moved through here like last time and part of him wanted to save as many people as he could when that happened. Though Carol’s husband still had to go. Rick had no place for wife beaters in his people, and one way or another that man was gone. If he could keep Amy alive, then Andrea would be more stable, and there wouldn’t be that suicidal trait that had almost gotten Beth killed at the farmhouse. Rick’s head was spinning with everything that needed to be done.

      “And then ya have the people like yer Ex who don’t do a damned thing around here Rick, don’t forget that pleasant fact. Those people think they deserved to be taken care of and that’s not going to end well. I think the short haired woman and her child are even being abused by her husband and these shits are letting it happen to them. There’s no one directing these people Rick, and that’s what they’re waiting for. They need someone to tell them what to do because they have no idea at all where to go next so they’re just going ta stay here and hope for the best.” Morgan grumbled, tossing another sleeping bag at Rick who caught it with a grunt.

      Rick shot the doctor a look as he unwrapped the sleeping bag and started spreading it out. If he knew one thing it was that Morgan didn’t make idle comments. So the other man had something rolling around in that head of his, but Rick hadn’t figured out his angle yet. It sounded like the other man was hinting that he should step up into the role he had pointed out was empty. A role Rick was already planning on filling, but damn it if it wasn’t amusing to see that someone who had no idea about the future wanted the same thing.

      “Dancing around the bush doesn’t suit you Morgan. Just what are you getting at with that pep talk?” He asked, looking back at the task at hand. The man in question laughed under his breath and nudged his shoulder.

      “All I’m saying is that for a man who woke up from a coma into this mess you’ve got things together. Ya saw I was gonna get my boy and myself killed and ya took charge of the situation. Then all the stocking up ya did on the way here? You made sure that we didn’t come inta this camp empty handed and a burden. And then there was that rescue stunt you pulled for your biker and the people he was with. You’ve got what it takes ta keep these people alive, and considering who ya know here? I think they’ll listen to ya more than yer thinking they will. Speak up Grimes, you’ll never know if ya don’t try and the longer we’re sitting here playing along with their little house scenario the more chance of everyone here dying becomes likely.” Morgan said bluntly after he looked back at him. Rick’s lips twitched as he digested his statement.

      “I’m doing the best I can do in this, but I’m far from having it all together Morgan. I’m going ta do what I can, but it isn’t gong to happen overnight. Convincing them this place aint safe is going ta be our biggest hurdle. Other things- like teaching everyone able how ta uses blunt and sharp objects, as well as guns to take walkers out I plan on starting in the morning. And as for the wife beater? I’ll figure out how ta deal with him as soon as possible. It’s hard ta believe Shane or Daryl haven’t done something yet though.” He responded, sounding as tired as he felt. He still was not fully recovered from his shooting and coma and he knew that. A flicker of concern passed over Morgan’s face at the tone, and the doctor nodded.

      “Fair enough Grimes. I just wanted ta know you had some sort of plan before I let my boy settle down here. You too for that matter. I aint afraid of slipping ya a sleeping pill and packing you up with yer boy and taking off with the both of you and my son if I think this camp is going south. It would be payback fer ya taking care of my wife after all. Though I think yer biker friend would be following just ta kick my ass if I did. That man is nursing a serious something for ya if you haven’t noticed. Kinda like that bastard partner of yers.” Morgan replied, a grin forming as he threw the last two sentences into his formal declaration of intent on kidnapping him if the camp proved hazardous. Rick didn’t know whether to grimace or smile himself at the other man’s words. If Morgan had noticed Daryl and Shane’s behavior towards him then he would bet others had done the same and there were going to be rumors flying all over the place by morning.

      “Warning heard and Received Morgan. I promise you’ll see some sort of change soon, cause I aint about to let my boy or my friends get killed because the majority of the camp wants ta be lazy. As for Daryl, he isn’t too shy about showing what he wants is he? And he would come after ya if ya kidnapped me and my boy, because he’s possessive like that. We aint done nothing yet, but he made it clear that since I’m no longer attached to my ex he’s interested. I aint opposed to it either. And I aint even touching the thing with Shane. Wasn’t expecting that one to be honest.” Rick replied, keeping an easy tone as he broached the topic of the two men that Morgan had mentioned. Morgan’s lips twitched at his words.

      “Life around ya aint never going ta be dull is it Grimes? For what it’s worth yer Biker has my vote considering he didn’t hop inta bed with yer ex and all. And he’s pretty good with yer boy and he actually does his part to keep this group alive. I aint seen that partner of yours do much more than bark at people so I don’t exactly know what his role is yet.” He hummed, tossing the last of the bedding into the tent. It was the pillows and a blanket from Carl’s room- his son had carried it to his tent when he was helping unload the car so Rick was pretty sure the pre-teen was planning on keeping up his new found habit of sticking close to his father by sleeping in his tent. That wasn’t going to go over well with Lori if she deemed to care where thier son slept.

       “I just want to be left alone! I’ll help do the laundry tommorrow Andrea, but just leave me alone now!” A sudden shout came from the tent Rick had been watching earlier. Rick winced as the shrieking voice and Morgan shook his head, getting up from the ground he’d been crouching on.

      “I think that’s my cue to go see if my son has managed ta get yers speaking yet. I’ll thank Daryl for watching him- but that meltdown isn’t something I want to see.” Morgan hummed, leaving Rick to peek over at the tent his ex-wife was still hiding in. If looks could start fires Lori would be burning alive in there from the glare Andrea was sending the tent in question. Rick groaned, had Lori always been this way or had she lost it when the world ended? Even with everything the cop knew she had done in the future he had still held onto some good memories of her. Memories he was questioning now. He got out of his tent with a sigh.

      He wasn’t about to place himself back in Lori’s path before he had to, so he’d go check in on his son, before asking just what Andrea needed help with. If Lori was going to be a lazy, whining teenager stuck in a woman’s body he would just have to pick up her slack for now just so she wasn't murdered in her sleep by the angry blonde. A small part of Rick felt guilty over the fact he was only giving his ex a free pass on this because of his little girl. They still needed Lori if Judith was going to be born, and he wasn’t sentencing his daughter to death just because he was beginning to not be able to stand her mother.


	7. Suprises and Sorting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: *Hides* RL and the Holidays snuck up and smothered me!!! I swear I meant to keep updating once a day but I've barely been able to sit down without falling asleep from exhaustion..... Erm *Peeks out from her hiding spot* I have a peace offering? It's not as long as the other, but I forced myself not to fall asleep and finish editing it... just for you my loyal readers.... And I MIGHT be able to get another out later today?.... Please don't lynch me!!!
> 
> *Edited 2/9/2015

      When Merle decided to swagger back into camp  from wherever he had been- though the bag that Rick later found out was filled with small game explained that, it was several hours after his grand arrival into camp, Rick had just finished setting up his tent, and was in the middle of sorting through his supplies, The cop was taking a count of everything he and Morgan had brought into camp so he had an idea of just where they sat supply wise. Since he had gathered things as they headed in this direction everything was a mess in their small cruiser and the cop felt an intense need to know just what they had avaliable to them so he could focus on what they still needed to gather on thier next run out into the city or along their way to the prison- whichever came first.

     He could think that they had enough supplies for now all that he wanted, but the reality of the situation would always be different since he knew that this wasn’t about to end anytime in the next eight years after all. The Cop was actually pleasantry surprised by their current medical supplies though. He had done the right thing in raiding the hospital before he left it, and he had picked up every single one of the vitamins, over the counter medicines and bandages he could find along the way into Atlanta. They now had a great stock of pain killers, antibiotics, supplements and bandages to work with this time because of that.

      Hell they may even have enough of those things for about six weeks even if they used everything he had gathered every day, but Rick knew that they needed a hell of a lot more if they were going to survive this in good shape though. This thing wasn’t about to just fix itself and it wasn’t like he had seen society even beginning to recover in the eight years he had survived before. Rick knew that all of this stuff wasn’t going to be made again anytime soon, and they were in a competition with anyone else who survived out there for whatever was left. The Rick that started this all would have been worried about leaving things for the people who came after them, but he wasn’t. They had hell coming up on them in the form of injuries that would require supplies to be treated and illnesses that would need medicine to be cured and they needed to be prepared for it all. His people's survival came before a stranger's that may not even come along. It had taken him far to long to come to that conclusion before, and he wouldn't be making that mistake again.

     He was in the middle of repacking his supplies in the privacy of his own tent when he heard a gruff laugh above where he was sitting. He stiffened and looked up to see the man he had expected to meet in Atlanta looking at him with a smirk painted over his scraggly face. Rick was prepared for any number of things to come out of Merle Dixon’s mouth at the sight of him- he remembered how the man had been when they first met after all. Except apart from the smirk and the laugh Dixon said nothing to him at first. If fact the gruff looking redneck crouched down so they were eye level, and so the cop wasn't craning his neck to look up at him. Rick stopped what he was doing to look over the other man curiously, wondering what the hell was going on here. There had been too much change for his liking in this timeline so far, and he didn’t know what would happen now.

      Even just looking at the other man that was just sitting there patiently the cop was struck by the fact that older Dixon wasn’t the dick that he had been in the other time line. Well not exactly the dick he’d been to be correct, the other Merle- even later on in this hell that they were living in wouldn’t have lowered himself to be equals with another man. At least not untill the very end and even then there would have been something in his stance that marked that he thought that he was better than whoever he was talking to. This Merle seemed humbled somehow and that put Rick on edge. Merle Dixon didn’t do humble at all.

      In fact as the other man took in Rick’s supplies and they way he was holding himself he just groaned, shaking his head as he lowered himself all the way to the ground- sitting cross legged in front of Rick’s tent. There was something playful in the other man’s eyes as the smirk turned into a grin, and considering Merle had just began turning his behavior around when he had died before that was more than a little confusing to the time displaced cop to see in this version of Daryl’s ususally impatient brother. Merle Dixon actually seemed friendly right now and that was unnerving all it it's own right.

      Rick chalked his sudden burst of confusion to trying to readjust to this time line and keeping everything in order in his mind. Hell when he had decided to fix things this time around he hadn’t really thought everything that would have to be done through completely, he had just come up with a vague plan and hoped it would work. Morgan had helped hone that plan some, and Daryl being his version was just icing on the cake. Daryl was going to be his saving grace through all of this and not just because of how he felt about the other man. Having the hunter remember everything took some of the stress of being responsible for doing the same thing off of the cop, just like the other man had been doing for years before the reset had happened. They were a team, and that was the way that he preferred it. Merle speaking dragged him out of his thought though, and he focused on his newest mystery.

      "Well lookie, what do we have here now? Officer Friendly finally decided to show his ugly mug back at Camp Freeloading. Maybe now Darellyna will quit moping around this place acting like he’s lost his damned puppy and we can actually do something about finding a secure location for this lost tribe of ours to settle into. Preferably somewhere with damned walls so I don’t have ta worry about getting my ass chewed off in the middle of the night." Dixon intoned with a a drawl and his eyes flashing with amusement as he watched Rick for a reaction to what he was saying with intrest. Rick couldn’t resist rolling his eyes at the other man’s words, but his lips twitched upward at them all the same. Someone up there liked messing with him, that was all he could think of to explain what was happening right now. Well at least he wouldn't have to fight the older Dixon, if his friendly behavior was anything to go by.

      Somehow this was the Merle who had died before, and then some if he was reading the other man’s calmer temperament correctly because this Merle was even mellower than the one that had died had been. Seeing that Merle remembered left Rick wondering just how many of his makeshift family would remember what had happened in the future in the end, though he was pretty sure that no other adult from this camp remembered based on their behavior since he had arrived in a different fashion than before. Rick also was wondering just how people remembering would change how the future played out from here out.

       He couldn’t guarantee that just his people would be the ones who remembered the future though. God forbid if this little reset included people like the Governor, or the people from Terminus or Grady in it. People who wouldn’t think twice about killing his people in revenge for the vendetta’s that they had formed during thier interactions in the future. Hell he should have thought about those possibilities the moment he had realized that he was in the past, if not after he realized that Daryl remembered the future also.

      But no he had focused more on the moment that he was living in and not thinking of any implications that were still just speculations not even formed yet. Implications he couldn’t ignore now. Damn it to hell. Rick needed to make lists of all possible people that could end up posing a problem to his group if they remembered like Daryl, Merle and he had. And then Rick needed to figure out how to either avoid those people all together or explain why they were after them to his people if avoiding them wasn’t an option- like the Governor for example. Rick couldn't let that man go on, not with the danger he posed to his family.

      "Off the wagon or on it Dixon?" He asked sarcastically, dragging himself back to the conversation at hand and the older man who was looking at him with amusement painted on his face. Since Daryl hadn’t seen fit to warn him about his brother remembering Rick was trying to get a feel for just what this man was about this time around. He didn’t seem to be holding a grudge about being abandoned on the roof like he had before- but then again Rick had no idea how long Merle had remembered the future since he had died well before Daryl and Rick had and Daryl’s memories coming back had coincided with Rick waking up. Well at least he knew why Daryl had been at the store, besides wanting to meet him there first. Merle had probably happily let his brother take his place so there couldn’t be a chance of history repeating itself, not that Rick blamed him there. Leaving Merle behind had been one of his biggest regrets.

      A regret that had stayed with Rick even after they found out that Merle was still alive. That one action had fostered so much hostility between the man and his people. Hostility they hadn’t really been able to overcome even after Merle had rejoined thier group. The other man had died still tainted by it in fact. Merle snorted at his ambiguous question, looking over to where his brother and Carl were resting by Daryl’s tent in the shade. After a couple moments he looked back at Rick, and his gaze was hard, serious.

      "On the wagon Officer no need for ya to cuff me and make me detox the hard way like Atlanta." He replied sarcastically, and there it was that hint of resentment that made the cop relax slightly. He didn’t think he’d be able to trust Merle is there wasn’t still some of that resentment rolling around in him. The other man had been through too much involving his group for all of it just to be gone like it had never existed and that resentment was like a baseline in Merle’s very personality.

       Rick nodded at the other man’s response- satisfied for the moment. He looked at his lover and son fondly as his mind settled, and had to smile in spite of himself. The two males looked like a family, the relaxation something neither of them had been able to enjoy for a long time in the future. Carl was lounging against Daryl’s legs, still not talking but just relaxing. It was clear the preteen trusted Daryl to keep him safe, and while that was odd given the fact that Rick knew his son shouldn’t be so comfortable with Daryl is was nice to see. The trust that his son felt for the man that would become his second father was apperent from their positioning at least. Daryl was alert, looking around with one hand on his crossbow and clearly ready to act if need be. Rick had no doubt that he’d be ready to shoot in a seconds notice because he had seen his lover lounging like that so many times over the years. Merle followed his look, smirking widely.

       "I always knew he had a thing for you Grimes, even before I actually knew the two of ya actually ended up a thing. Darleena’s already warned me off from antagonizing ya in any way, not that I needed it considering how long ya kept the kid alive. I noticed the difference in him when he remembered a week ago, surprised the hell out of me considering I remembered the night the outbreaks started getting reported- though he didn’t say much about how he bit the bullet other than it was down ta the two of ya. I have ta admit that he’s stronger than I ever gave him credit for being though." Merle taunted, looking back at him.

        "I aint laying down like a damned dog and dying this time around Grimes. We need to get the hell on finding a stable base and fortifying against the fucks who’d think that they can take what’s ours. I see you’ve already started on supplies- good on ya. We’ll need a hell of a lot more than that though. Yer people are still lazy fucks and they’ll go through it pretty damn quick if they can." He added roughly in a taunt voice, looking back at the cop and his rather full tent with a grime glance that relayed how serious he was.

       Rick chuckled at his response, unable to help himself from responding to that statement in the way that he had, because the other man was right. The semi-innocence of his people in this timeline made them lazy- lax compared to the finely honed group they had become later. But only time and experience could fix that. Rick would have to be the bad guy and ration the supplies he and Morgan had gathered, though he was pretty sure Morgan would be more than happy to take that job. Merle smirked at him knowingly as he gathered his thoughts together. He knew Merle had a sharp mind hiding behind what used to be a cloud of drugs. He had to have to have survived as long as he had with the world like it was, and he’d have information that could help Rick guide this group in the beginning of this- before things changed too much.

       Information that Merle had gathered when he was on his own, and then later in Woodbury while he had called those people his own. Things Rick could use to his advantage if they were lucky and god- or whoever had put this redo into motion- hadn’t seen fit to include people like the Governor into this second chance. He could handle the people of Terminus and Grady remembering if he had to but the Governor remembering would spell more than trouble for his people than they might be able to take, considering the crazy asshole knew where a damned tank was and had already proven that he wasn’t above using it against them to destroy the lives that they had built. Damn it the prison had been the best place they ended up in over the years, they couldn't loose it this time around.

       "I'm already planning on doing just that Merle, though any advice you might have will be appreciated. We need to pick Hershel and his people up before we do that though. The prison’s still our best idea, we can make it great with the right planning and fortifications to it. But we’re going to have to take care of the Governor and his goons sooner or later, they’re too close ta us and too damn volatile ta chance them taking an interest in us again." Rick finally replied, looking the older Dixion straight in the eyes as he spoke and keeping his voice as level as he could and failing all the same when the emotions that he felt when speaking about the man who had killed so many of his people bleed through. Merle snorted, nodding his head in agreement, but not saying a thing yet. It was almost as if he knew that Rick wasn’t done speaking yet..

       "There will be no second chances this time for assholes like them, we can’t afford ta take a chance and be wrong about it if we’re going ta actually live this time around. The first chance I get he’s going to die before he gets obsessed with us and kills my people trying to take what we built." He added under his breath, his voice dark as he spoke about killing another living man without hesitation. He’d long passed giving people the benefit of a doubt in the future and that belief stuck with him here in the past he found when he actually thought about it. Rick grunted as Merle slapped his back hard, laughing as he did with a wide grin and a wicked look in his eyes..

      "You’re going to be alright there son. Ya were a good enough leader for the lot of them before when ya were just stumbling around like an idiot trying ta find yer head and all but now. Now ya know just what people get like when the world is dead and gone and ya can be better fer it this time around. If ya keep that attitude Grimes we might just be able ta build something out of this mess after all." Merle sing songed, still chuckling under his breath as he looked away from the cop. The older Dixon started walking over to his tent with a swagger in his walk that made Rick laugh under his breath himself as soon as he was able to breath normally again, but the other man didn’t bother looking back at him at the sound. Smug asshole.

      Damn it if Dixon didn’t hit hard though, and the other man hadn’t even been aiming to hurt him with it either- he’d just been joking around with that back slap and treating Rick like he had seen him treat Daryl when they were joking around. Hell wasn’t that a odd thing to experiance- Merle Dixon as a friend and not just someone who barely tolerated him. Rick sighed, he needed to heal sooner rather than later because they didn’t have time for him getting the wind knocked out of him like this. A reaction like that during fight could be the moment between life and death out here and Rick couldn’t have his weakness get Carl, Daryl or anyone else killed. It was shocking to see just how weak he’d been physically at this point in time. He hadn’t felt it at all the last time around, not like this. He'd been too high on finding Lori and Carl, and the adrenaline of that run back into Atlanta and the fight at camp afterwards to notice he supposed.

      As he steadied his breathing to a normal rate Rick heard a sharp whistle and looked over to see Daryl watching him with concerned, sharp eyes and looking like if Rick gave him a sign he'd come over and take care of his brother. He shook his head at his lover- indicating that he was fine and smiling at him soothingly to try and calm him down. Rick could see Daryl narrow his eyes in reaction to his motion before he looked at his brother suspiciously. The cop bit his cheek to stop himself from laughing as Merle flipped his brother off in response to the look, looking haughty as ever as he opened up his tent. The recovering man could have sworn that his lover was going to jump up and confront his brother over whatever he thought had happened at Rick’s tent even if Rick had motioned that he was okay, but then Carl leaned into him more and Daryl was looking at him in concern.

      "You okay there little man?" Rick heard Daryl rumble and the cop prepared himself to get up from his spot in his tent and head over to them. But Carl just nodded, closing his eyes and Daryl huffed, shooting the tent where his brother had now disappeared into another glare. "Alright, I get it. I’ll leave ol Merle alone for now, but I’ll be asking him just what he did ta yer daddy over there later. Ya hear that?" Daryl added with a wry grin toward thier son. Rick smirked to himself and went back to his packing the supplies he had.

     Daryl had whatever was going on with Carl in hand for right now, and if he wanted to continue to foster whatever relationship was forming between the two he shouldn’t butt into their moment. They could only wait for the preteen to speak and actually tell then what was wrong right now, because pressuring Carl to talk before had never turned out well for them in the future. Hell it had only made things worse in the end, before Carl had left them and taken Judy with him. Rick wasn’t about to make his son resentful of him this early on into his second chance, so he had to be patient with his son. Carl would tell him what was going on in his head sooner or later, he just needed to process what had happened today, or so the cop hoped as he continued cataloging and packing the supplies he’d laid around him and thinking of what was to happen next.


	8. Bedtime and Serious Conversations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Alright, so obviously my body hates me- shortly after my last update I started having some major headaches. A quick trip to the Doctors revealed I had a sinus infection and thus my days of popping pills, and hoping my head wasn't going to suddenly burst open began. I'm on the mend now, and have an update for you all- editing this monster was a pain in my behind- but I worked on it a little a day in between RL and beating the Sinus infection. This was seriously the Chapter that didn't want to end and it has a little bit of everything- including the answer to the Carl theories, some Rickly interaction and Shane. :P I hope you all enjoy it, and I'll get to work on editing the next Chapter just as soon as I'm done here.
> 
> *Edited: 2/9/2015

        Daryl looked at Rick as the other man settled his son in his tent for the night as the sun set, signaling the end of the day. A day that had gone by pretty quickly in the hunter's opinion, and he was looking forward to having a chance to get Rick alone at least for a couple minutes, if not for anything more than to just hold him and thank whatever force at work that he was his version of Rick, and not the man that had he had first met. Anything else that happened would be a bonus, but that wasn’t likely to happen considering the looks he had seen shot at Rick over the course of the day.

        Rick had been working nonstop on one project or another since he had come into the camp, and Daryl hadn’t had the chance to do much more than watch him because of Carl’s odd behavior throughout the day. Behavior that had gone beyond the oddness that he had noticed before if he was telling the truth. So while Rick was setting up his campsite, taking stock of what he had brought into camp and setting up a perimeter along with his various other projects, Daryl had watched their son, unable to not comfort the boy he’d seen as his own the last time around. Hell the preteen had even kept him from taking a swing at his brother after the jackass had winded Rick earlier.

        Daryl wasn’t stupid, he had seen the expression crossing his lover’s face after Merle had pounded the too thin man’s back without a care that the man had just woken from a coma not to long ago. That blow had hurt Rick and that fact had made the ex-cop/hunter’s blood boil. He had fucking warned Merle not to do anything to Rick before he had left for Atlanta. Of course Daryl had been thinking that he was going to be bringing back a version of his lover that didn’t remember the eight years that they had known each other, but just because Rick remembered didn’t mean Merle could hurt him damn it. If anything his brother should have known not to touch Daryl’s lover in a harmful way because the younger brother knew that the brother he had survived with so far wasn’t the version who had lived this before. And this version knew just how much he cared for the dark haired cop that would become this camp’s leader.

       Lori had thrown a fit when nightfall had come and Carl refused to leave his father’s side and go to her tent to sleep like she demanded him to. Hell the woman had barely come out of her tent in time to help the others prepare the evening meal, and she had sulked the whole time she had worked because she couldn’t catch Rick’s attention no matter what she tried to do. Daryl felt himself tense each and every time she threw a wistful look in Rick’s direction, knowing that his lover’s ex-wife was going to be a problem and hating it at the same time. She had been going to divorce Rick while he was in a coma, so why the hell wasn’t she jumping with joy now that he had ended thier marriage? She was free to do and see whoever she wanted to, but she suddenly wanted Rick for her own again even if he didn't want her.

       Daryl snorted to himself, he knew why Queen Lori was so eager to hold onto Rick now that the world had ended of course. He wasn’t stupid. She was the type of woman who needed to be protected and pampered, and she had to have status in whatever group she was surrounded by. Shane had been the defacto leader of this camp before her husband's grand return, and the fact that Lori had snuck into his pants made every bit of sense to the hunter. By sleeping with the Alpha Male of the group she was considered the Alpha Female and thus she had respect in her mind. Now with Rick back in the picture she knew the tide would be changing to her husband’s favor because he seemed to have it together and she didn’t want to lose her status when Shane was bumped down on the totem pole of rank. The others in the camp were sick and tired of her behavior though and Rick wasn’t budging in his decision to leave her. Not that Daryl would let him go without a fight, one that she had no chance in winning.

       The hunter had to admit that he found Carl’s behavior to be the most disconcerting change in this timeline so far to be honest, considering how the boy had taken his mother and father’s ‘separation' before, back at the Greene’s farm. The young boy hadn’t been friendly to him until much later in the time line either, and even then he hadn’t become this attached to him for an even longer amount of time. Not until maybe after the prison fell and Terminus and Grady happened. But now? If Rick was unavailable, like he had been for much of today, than Carl latched onto him and he didn’t leave his side for anything- not even his mother’s screeching. He was broken out of his thoughts by Carl’s sudden whimper. Anything he was thinking could wait until thier son was settled down for the night and sleeping peacefully. If he had one of those nightmares where he woke up screaming both Daryl and Rick would be there for him. It was an unspoken promise between the two parents.

      "I’m so sorry dad." The preteen whispered, his voice broken as he spoke for the first time since he had been reunited with his father earlier that day. "I’m not going to leave again, I promise." Daryl froze, and then he was in the tent with his family too, looking at the boy he’d grown to think of his own since the world ended the first time with sharp eyes. Carl couldn’t be saying what he thought he was hearing damn it. He couldn’t be thier Carl, the boy who had bolted with his little sister in the future, because that meant that he had to have died to be here right now and he had promised Rick that their children would find somewhere safe out there when he hadn’t been able to track the duo. Hell he had even convinced himself that Carl was trained enough to survive without them in the world.

      The stab of grief Daryl felt at thinking of the young man dying was odd considering Carl was here and alive, but he still felt it all the same. Carl had died after he ran with Judith, and he had no idea if his and Rick's little girl had followed her brother’s fate in the end. And the practical part of him knew it was too much to hope that she hadn’t if Carl had died before finding somewhere safe for them. He’d seen Sophia’s walking corpse, and knew that the world they lived in wasn’t meant for seven year old girls to be on all on thier own out there. Hell the fact that she had lived to be seven was a damn miracle in his opinion.

      "Why the fuck did you leave in the first place Carl? We kept the both of you safe damn it!" He growled out when he could find the words since his lover was still sitting in shocked silence- feeling angry with himself and the familer rage of what Carl’s actions had done to their family bubbling up inside of his chest. The young man abandoning them had broken Rick in a way that Daryl could have never hoped to fix considering Carl had done it in a way that had left both of his father’s vulnerable to an attack. They had been lucky a walker hadn’t found them in the time that they had been unguarded and killed them.

       Daryl couldn’t just yell at Carl though, he needed to understand why the now preteen had done what he had, because he had honestly not seen it coming. Rick had blamed no one but himself for Carl running, but Rick had tried so hard to keep this boy and his sister alive over the years so Daryl didn’t believe that. Carl looked at him, his lip trembling and his eyes watering as his eyes focused onto Daryl’s. There was a look of guilt clear in them and that did nothing to ease the second father’s anger at the teen future actions. But even upset Daryl grabbed the child’s hand securely in his own hand as Rick hugged him comfortingly, because no matter what the kid did, they both loved him and he needed to be reassured of that right now.

       "I was so angry at dad in the end of everything. I thought I could protect Judy better on my own, that we wouldn’t have to run anymore because Dad’s expectations for a safe zone were too high for us to ever settle. We kept loosing people every single time we thought it was safe and I blamed him for it. I couldn’t handle another settlement because it was down to us. Dad, Judy me and you. I couldn’t handle another death so I left thinking I could beat the pattern we had been following. I was wrong, so very wrong." Carl murmured, his voice tapering off as he chocked back tears so they wouldn't start falling. Rick held him tighter and Daryl rubbed the back of his hand soothingly, both parents knowing that this wasn’t easy for the young man to admit to them. But he needed to keep telling his tale, so neither man spoke, letting Carl continue to speak about what had happened after he left them with his sister even if it tore at their very being. For Rick his worst fears were being confirmed, and Daryl just felt sick to his stomach as he realized how much hostility their son had really held for him.

      "I did get Judy to a settlement though. Somewhere safe. I promise you both that I did. I asked Lee all the questions Dad made up and he passed them all, though he admitted to having killed someone on on accident before the world ended. After the reanimation he tried to save everyone that he could and I believed him. He had adopted a little girl after the end of the world, and I trusted him because he looked at Jude and I like you and Daryl did before I left with her." The boy murmured heavily, sighing as he gathered himself to speak more. His expression changed as he spoke though, and it wasn’t in a good way. He looked so sad and that made both of his male parent’s hearts clench, but he also sounded angry at them at the same time and that stilled any of their gut reactions to respond to the fact that Judy was still alive. They both knew Carl wasn't finished yet.

       "But I got bit before I made it back into Lee’s camp with Judy. I was out on a run for supplies, because we were still a ways away from the camp when it happened. I tried saving someone else when they were being attacked, like I always pushed dad to do and I got bit, so I ended up leaving Judy all alone because Lee carried he away when I told him too." Carl continued, his voice a mere whisper as he spoke slowly of his death.

      "I only realized after they were gone that I was out of ammo, and you both know that was precious then because it was so hard ta find by then. So the fever took over and I just went to sleep. I thought I was going to reanimate and eat people, but I woke up in Mom’s tent screaming and she wasn’t there. She was with Shane. I can only hope Judy never comes back like we did, because I was the one to leave alone her to die." He continued, tears falling from his eyes as he admitted that. The preteen looked at both men before swallowing hard, and nodding to himself when they didn't speak.

     "Being with mom, before dad found us and all and all I could think was if. I was back then Dad might not even really be alive,  I might have imagined it all and I actually looked at what was happening around me this time instead of letting myself just ignore everything and pretend we were camping and Dad just had to work the weekend. I looked at how Mom was with Shane, how this camp was actually run, and then I saw how she reacted when you got here today. I was stupid for blaming you for everything that happened to us Dad, Daryl. I’m so sorry for leaving, I messed up so bad." Carl finished in a whisper, barely audible, his voice cracking as tears fell from his eyes as he clenched them shut, unable to look at them anymore. The Preteen didn’t want to see the expression on his parents faces as his words sunk in if he was honest with himself.

      Rick growled at the fact that Lori had been ignoring Carl this early on. Her one responsibility had been thier son and she was too busy fucking his best friend to be there for him. Hell there was even some resentment for Shane now, knowing that the fact he was sleeping with Lori had kept her from his son, But as soon as that resentment came to be he squashed it. If it hadn’t been Shane it would have been another man in the camp. Merle and Daryl were not options, but there were other men around. Lori would have found someone to sleep with so he couldn’t put the blame of her negligence on Shane.

       "It’s going to be different this time son, I swear." Daryl heard Rick whisper, his lover’s voice cracking as he spoke finally, breaking the silence that had fallen over them after Carl’s last words. "I aint gonna loose anyone if I can help it this time, and we will find a safe place to make our own and I won’t let anyone take it away." Carl shuddered at that and Daryl squeezed his hand more firmly, drawing his attention back to him and away from whatever he was thinking about. They needed to make sure Carl didn’t dwell on his memories from the future- that could break the kid. Hell it would break Rick and him too if they weren’t careful about it and that was his job to take care of. He was Rick’s support after all.

      "If you ever try to pull that crap on us again and I’ll tan your little hide so you can’t move for a week, ya hear that kid?" Daryl warned gruffly, his tone deadly serious as he took the stern parental role that he knew his lover wouldn’t in fear of alienating their son. He was rewarded with a slightly fearful look from the preteen. Carl nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving the hunter’s face, even as a slight smile tilted his lips and his whole body relaxed as if Daryl’s words calmed him. Daryl felt his own lips quirk, the preteen was one weird kid, a promise like that would have made Daryl a panicked mess when he was a kid. But then his father had never been one to be a light touch and Daryl had the scars to prove it on his back.

      "I promise I won’t do it this time pops. No matter what happens I aint going to leave my family again, going out alone? I can’t do that again, it was the worst thing I ever experienced." He whispered and Daryl grunted, his heart expanding for the small boy as he was acknowledged in the role that he had imagined he had before even as it broke because of what he was saying. "I’m glad that you’re the you and that dad is the dad that I left. I don’t think I coulda stood if either of ya were the versions that we started out with, not when I know the kinda people we have ta be to survive." He added softly, looking down and sounding ashamed. Daryl reached over with his free hand and ruffled Carl’s hair playfully, trying to break the mood the preteen had created with his story before it swallowed them whole. He and Rick had their work cut out for them when it came to dealing with Carl’s mental state, but they would do it together and their son would be alright in the end. Carl’s lips twitched into a nother small grin and Daryl was relieved to see it.

     "It woulda been hell if yer dad hadn’t been my version if him so I know where yer coming from there kid." He agreed, leaning into Rick finally and taking a bit of comfort from his lover while he could. Comfort that he had been craving since he had seen Rick on that bike outside of the store and hadn’t been able to get enough of. There was no reason not to indulge himself for a moment after all.

     Not when their son already knew about their relationship and Daryl could touch Rick without answering any questions from the others in the camp because they were in the privacy of their tent, and away from the prying eyes of the others. Carl snickered at his response, smiling at the two men as he observed their positions with accepting eyes. Rick’s relationship with Daryl was one thing the teen had never had anything bad to say about. The newly returned cop leaned into Daryl, still holding thier son and the hunter wrapped his arms around them both after letting go of Carl’s hand. His family was back together and as complete as if could be untill Lori got around to popping out thier little Asskicker.

      "Mom’s going to flip out when she catches on about the two of you being together you know. I saw how she just expected you to go back to her even though you knew she was sleeping with Shane. And I saw how she just tried blaming him for everything- the sex and you deciding to end your marriage with her. I didn’t realize she was like this before, even after I woke up remembering the future. I thought you were being unfair to her when you wouldn’t forgive her back then so I got angry with you and then she died and I had to put her down. I blamed you for that too and that blame- it just grew and grew. Then we were always on the run and I thought I could do better than you were so I left."Carl murmured, his voice going sad again when he admitted the last part, repeating the gist of his story that he couldn’t get over. Rick groaned, kissing the top of his head gently, trying to comfort him more and feeling like an idiot as he did.

     The cop knew that he had made mistakes the last time around, by not being there for Carl in the way that the preteen needed him to be and by not dealing with the resentment he had seen but ignored. He felt his lover shift a little, and nudged him with his elbow. This was something that Rick had to handle right now, something that he had to respond to on his own and even though he appreciated Daryl’s willingness to step up the ball was in his cort at the moment. Daryl could help later, and Rick knew that he would. Carl was like the other man’s son too and they both knew that. Hell Daryl had been more of a parent to Carl today than his own mother had, and that had to say something about just how great the other man was.

     "I’m sorry for not handling things the way I should have before Carl. You had every right to be angry with me, so don’t go beating yourself up over what happened. It’s done and over with and it’s going to be different this time." He soothed, because Carl didn’t need anger or a reprimand right now. Right now he needed his father to be calm and understanding and supportive because the preteen was hurting. Carl needed to feel safe. Or as safe as one could feel in the world they lived in. Their son snuggled further into his arms, and made sure he was touching Daryl too as he did. The hunter lover snorted, tugging the child closer to himself and kissed his head, figuratively stepping back into the picture now that Rick had his say.

     "Yer going to hafta cut yer daddy some slack every now and then though kid. He’s not perfect, no matter what he thinks sometimes and things will happen because we can’t stop it all. Making mistakes, messing up? That’s something we all do, it’s humanity." He muttered roughly, needing to lay that ground rule down before the preteen so that Carl understood that no matter how badly Rick wanted things to be perfect this time around it wasn’t always going to be possible. If the kid understood that now then it would save then a hell of a lot of trouble later, when shit hit the fan like it was bound to when the dead got up and took a bite out of the living like they did in the world that they now had to survive in.

     Carl nodded at his words, his body relaxing again as he closed his eyes and snuggled closer to both of the men. He was asleep within five minutes, in which neither man spoke while they took a chance to fully enjoy having their family back together again. Once they were both sure that Carl was really out and not just dozing lightly Daryl untangled himself from his lover and son and nodded to Rick. He'd give the cop a chance to put their son down by himself tonight. Daryl stepped out of the tent, giving the father the privacy he needed to untangle himself and get Carl situated in his bedding without waking him up again.

     They wouldn’t be able to leave him long, in case the preteen had a nightmare, but this was a chance he had to steal Rick away for a few minutes and he planned on taking it. Tomorrow was going to be hell if they herd moved in like before so they might not have a chance to take time for their selves again for a while to come if they had to move out and start their journey towards home- picking up the Greene’s by any means necessary on the way hopefully because he didn’t put it past Maggie not to come back just to kick their asses if they kept this time line’s version of her from meeting and falling in love with Glen.

    Daryl was startled out of a rather vivid imagining of Maggie glaring daggers at him for even thinking that getting her papa off his land would be hard by the feeling of someone watching him. He stiffened and looked up only to find Shane staring at him and the tent he had just come out of intently. The other man glared at him as he noticed that he was looking at him and the hunter’s fists clenched in response, though he kept himself from going and wiping that glare off his face with a punch. While it would feel good it wouldn’t help this situation any and Rick would read him the riot act for it and Daryl was trying to follow Rick’s lead when it came to this man and keeping him sane. Even if he didn’t like the cow eyes that

     He looked away from Shane, ignoring the other man, and the feeling of his own hackles rising to the challenge he saw in his eyes. It was like without Rick fighting to keep his bitch of a wife the other man was focusing on him as his object of lust and obsession in he was reading this situation correctly. That was not going to happen- once he’d finally admitted he was attracted to Rick it had taken over a year to get the other man to accept him as his lover. There was no way in hell he was going to let him go now that he had a second chance with him. Now that he had a chance to enjoy his time with Rick to the fullest. To live a life with him that didn’t just include running and looking over their shoulders for they next asshole that wanted them dead. Hell if he had his way the Governor would have an arrow sticking out of his eye as soon as possible so the prison would be safe for them to develop into what they needed without worry.

     Rick came out of his tent with a small sigh and smiled at him when he noticed that Daryl was still right there waiting for him. The hunter rolled his eyes, a small grin tugging at his own lips as he observed his lover. Even after having been with him for as long as he had been apparently he could still surprise Rick with the smallest things apparently. Like having his back and sticking around to see the results that their teamwork had achieved, like the fact that thier son was soundly asleep and Rick had escaped his octopus arms without waking him up. Daryl had heard a lot about Carl’s sleep-death grip when Rick got sappy about life before the walkers took over the world while he was asleep, before Carl had started hating him.

    Daryl nodded in Shane’s direction to let him know that something was up without saying it and heard Rick let out an almost silent groan when he looked to see what he was motioning to. The sudden grimace that passed over his lover’s face made Daryl look over in the other cop’s direction again. This time Shane wasn’t just watching Rick’s tent, he was heading in their direction. The curly haired man had an intense look on his face as he marched over and that made the hunter’s hackles rise again. What the hell was Shane up to now? Daryl stiffened as he came to a stop in front of them, and mentally he all but kissed the idea of sneaking Rick off for some time with him tonight goodbye. This was one persistant asshole.

   "Now that Carl’s down I wanna check out your wound Rick. You’re moving too stiff for my liking considering how long ago you took that bullet brother. The last thing we need is it getting infected on us because I hate to tell you this, the last time I checked we’re fresh out of Doctor’s out here." Shane intoned, not looking at the hunter, but at his partner as he spoke. Hell from his stance he was trying to inform the hunter that his presence wasn’t needed or wanted during his proposed examination of Rick’s wound.

   Daryl snorted roughly as he realized just what the other man was saying. Taking care of Rick was his job and he had planned on taking a look at the gunshot wound that had put his lover in the hospital as soon as he got the other man alone, he didn’t need the man who had tried killing Rick anywhere near his lover. Not until he was sure that this Shane wasn’t already insane like before, and he hadn’t seen much of a difference yet. Rick rolled his eyes as he looked over to the tent where Daryl knew Morgan was putting his son down for the night before shrugging and looking back at Shane, clearly exasperated.

    "Morgan’s got my medical supplies in his tent, since he is a Doctor, or was one before the world went to hell. He taken to making sure that I’m taking care of myself damn seriously because he considers me his patient and friend. In fact the good Doctor might just punch you if you try taking that over if you take the impression he has of you so far into consideration. When I stumbled onto him and his boy I was a two days out of my coma and believe it or not in worse shape than I’m in now. Duane thought I was a walker until I spoke in fact." Rick said shaking his head and turning down the demand. Daryl felt his lips twitching again at the Rick like rejection, taking note of what his lover had inadvertently revealed, but Shane growled.

    "Let him try to Grimes. I’m going ta get a look at that wound Rick, one way or another. You’re my partner damn it, my best friend, my brother. And I need ta know for myself that you’re alright, so stop being stubborn and let me have a look. It aint gonna hurt nothing ta let me." Shane growled, his voice low and angry with a hint of a whine in it at the same time. It was obvious that he was at his patience’s end.

     Daryl stiffened at the other man’s words, knowing Rick and what his reaction to Shane’s request would be now that had been said. He knew his lover wouldn’t say no again because he was trying to save this man’s sanity. And pushing Shane away wouldn’t be following that plan very well now would it? Rick sighed, then looked at Daryl for a second, as if he was looking for permission or approval to agree to Shane’s request even though he could see that Rick’s mind was made up already.

     The hunter saw what that unconscious action did to the other cop from the corner of his eye though- he stiffened and his eyes flashed in anger and his lips twisting into a snarl. He cursed the habit that Rick had grown into and knew that he had to do something to defuse this situation fast or there was going to be trouble in paradise sooner than the Greene farm. He steeled himself and nodded at Rick, a tight grin stretching over his lips. He didn’t have to like doing this after all. Maybe after Shane was satisfied he’s still have a chance for some time with Rick before they went to bed. Well one could hope that would happen.

     "Well come on Officer Friendly. Let’s get those supplies off yer friend real quick and tha two of us will check you over. I’m damn curious about that wound of yers too." Daryl interjected, knowing that he wasn’t leaving Rick alone with this man if he had a choice in it at all. Especially when Rick would be half undressed during the inspection of his wound. Shane had already kissed his lover’s neck when he had hugged him earlier and he wasn’t going to chance it going further when Rick wasn’t at a 100 percent. It wasn’t that Daryl doubted his lover’s ability to defend himself or anything, but Shane hadn’t been seriously injured before this crap like Rick had been so he had the upper hand if he tried to pull anything.

      Shane sneered at him in response to his suggestion, not looking happy at all but Rick as already nodding and walking towards Morgan’s tent so the decision had been made. Shane grabbed Daryl’s arm, his fingers digging into the muscle that he had in his grip almost painfully as he did. Daryl barely resisted punching him in response to his actions. He had to keep calm, because punching this jackass wouldn’t solve a damn thing and he knew it. The Shane he knew would just hit him back and he didn’t need an all out brawl with Carl so close to them. So he kept calm for now, he could pay Shane back later after all.

     "I don’t give a damn if you knew Rick briefly before all of this happened Dixon. That is my partner over there, I’m not going to let you take him away from me. Not when I just got him back again. So cut the territorial crap and deal with the fact that I’m not going anywhere anytime soon will ya? I just wanna make sure he’s okay, because the last time I saw him before ya rode in with him today I thought he was dead. Let me have this, please." Shane growled under his breath, but his tone wasn’t all anger, there was pleading in there. Daryl shook his hand off and rubbed his arm briskly, knowing the other man had gripped him hard enough that he was going to have a bruise there later. That fact fed the anger in his chest and made him ignore the fact that the man that caused it just wanted the same thing that he did- to make sure Rick was in one piece and alright. Hell it even made him gloss over the fact that Shane had held back from cornering Rick and making a scene of this all day. Instead he lashed out at the curly haired cop .

     "Some partner ya turned out ta be ya stuck up asshole. Ya were the one that was there with Grimes when everything went ta hell, and ya left him laying in a hospital bed that he should have died in given he had no one caring fer him all of this time. Then ya started fucking his wife once she was with ya. I don’t care if ya thought Grimes was dead, some things are just off limits Officer Dick, and your partner’s significant others are of of them." He replied sharply, sneering at him and doing his damned best to warn the other man to stay away from his lover, that he had wronged Rick with what he had done and that he had no chance in hell with him now that the other man was here with them again.

    Shane took a step back from him, his eyes widening as the words that he had expected Rick to shout at him the moment he realized his partner knew about him and Lori came spewing out of the normally quiet man’s mouth. He looked sick to his stomach and dazed, because he had never in his wildest dreams thought that the hunter was capable of the level of hate that he was hearing. That sight should have made Daryl happy to see, but he just felt like he’d punched a puppy as he watched what he said did to Shane.

   Neither man said a thing for several minutes after Daryl’s rant. In fact most of the camp was silent around them except for some chatting by the various fires, and an argument from Morgan’s tent. From what Daryl could catch from the sharp muffled words that escaped the tent the older man wasn’t happy that Rick was going to let the man that had slept with his wife play doctor with him now. The argument came to an end with his name being mentioned though, and that made Daryl roll his eyes a little, a grin passing over his features without his permission. So the new man in their little family trusted him with Rick over Shane.

   That was nice fact to know, and he made a mental note of it. He had one ally in this camp, beyond his son, an ally that would have his back when his relationship with Rick came out in the camp. God knew that Shane wouldn’t like it very much and he might need someone watching out for him, other than Rick of course. Rick came back out of Morgan’s tent with a bulging book bag as Shane’s fists clenched at his sides, proving that he had come to the same conclusion as the hunter and he wasn’t to happy about it.

   Daryl tried not to wince internally as he realized that his gut response of chewing Shane out would piss off his lover when he found out about it because his words wouldn’t deter Shane, but they would challenge him instead, especially with Morgan- the next closest man to Rick not trusting him either. The hunter was pissed off that Shane had decided to transfer his obsession to Rick instead of Lori if he was honest with himself. He hadn’t expected that to happen considering the curly haired idiot had almost killed Rick over the bossy bitch last time. When Rick made his little divorce announcement Daryl had hoped that Shane would quietly comfort Lori and that would be that when it came to his lover’s romantic attachments in camp. He could deal with the other man and Lori going at it like they had been until today, but he didn’t know if he could handle the other man being obsessed with Rick. He didn’t like sharing his stuff let alone his lover.

   Looking at Shane’s reactions so far Daryl wasn’t even sure that this situation wouldn’t turn out the same way that it had before in the end. The hunter had a feeling that Shane would turn vicious in his direction if Rick turned him down and he didn’t like that feeling that he was going to have to be watching out for threats withing the camp as well as the walkers. Of course he could just be judging the other man based on what they had lived through before still since he would freely admit that he hadn’t known a good side to the asshole standing next to him. He’d only just begun to trust the group- their family, when the other man had snapped and tried killing Rick, only to die himself as the then tentative leader reacted to protect himself from the attack that would have taken his life and left Shane in charge.

  But Daryl had seen the aftermath of Shane’s betrayal and behavior. Hell the hunter had stepped up and supported Rick and his decisions, even if he hadn’t realized that he’d been doing it at the time. And then Lori had died giving birth to Judy and Daryl had realized that he’d fallen in love with the other man at some point as he’d taken care of the man’s daughter while he couldn’t. That had been one hell of a kick in the balls considering that the then leader of their little community was in no condition to approach, let alone begin a relationship. So Daryl had kept quiet, supporting the other man however he could.

   When Rick’s sanity tried to snap after Lori’s death Daryl never been so afraid of losing someone before in his life, even with Merle he’d know that his brother was one tough son of a bitch that would make it. With his then leader and secret love he hadn’t been so sure that he was going to come out the other side of his break at the man he’d been before. The hunter had gotten lucky in the end. Rick had been a little damaged when he had snapped out of it, but he had recovered even if he’d been a little harder than before.

    Daryl couldn’t let that break happen again though, he wouldn’t let it happen because another round of it might not produce the same results. Rick was prepared to loose Lori to Judith’s birth again- he knew that in his gut, but Daryl could tell that Rick wanted to save Shane this time around- for him to live. If the cop couldn’t then he would take it hard. Maybe even hard enough to break down again.

    The fact was that the future leader needed to save his ex-partner to prove something to himself, even though the hunter wasn’t even sure if Rick even knew what he was trying to prove to himself by making sure that Shane survived. The way his lover had handled the first meeting with Shane told Daryl everything he needed to know about how Rick wanted to handle this though, and guiltily the other man over his relationship with Lori wasn’t what Rick wanted. Apparently Daryl needed to learn how to bite his tongue again, because he hadn’t hesitated in using the affair against Shane even though he knew all of that.

    If Rick hadn’t wanted to try and save Shane from the insanity that had consumed him than he wouldn’t have tried to make sure the other man didn’t feel guilty over sleeping with Lori plain and simple. If his lover didn’t care for Shane’s survival, or even for him period then he would have said worse than what Daryl had the moment he had seen him. Daryl knew that because he had listened to Rick rant about how selfish Shane had been among other things after his lover had healed from his friend and wife’s deaths as much as he could. Damn it Rick was going to have his head if Shane ever decided to let his partner in on that rant and then the man he had yelled at would be the smug one standing around.

   "You two look like you’re having a pissing match over here. I can always take care of this myself or just go right back to Morgan’s tent. He’d be more than happy to keep control of caring for this thing there is no need to come to blows over it." Rick said sternly, seemingly joking as he made it back to the two men- a worried look in his eyes as he looked at Shane, then Daryl where his eyes lingered. Shane’s gaze snapped to him, and surprisingly enough the tension in his frame eased as he looked Rick over and the corner of his lips twitched up into a smile, like he was amused by something that he saw. Daryl had to admit that he was confused by that reaction. This Shane wasn’t acting like the man that he remembered and if this change was just because Rick talking to him and he didn’t feel the need to feel guilty over Lori because Rick wasn’t angry about it then the hunter had no idea what to expect from him. Daryl shifted, getting ready to respond, but Shane beat him to the punch grinning at him widely as he rocked back on his heels.

   "Aww come on Rick. Ya know you like the attention deep down man. I was just telling yer friend here that I aint giving up on ya this time. I did that too many times already now and it aint happening again. I can learn ta share ya if need be- came close to it with Lori in a way. He just needs ta learn to do the same damn thing. He was just letting me know that he doesn’t like me too much and I can’t blame him there. He’ll just have ta get ta know me better." Shane drawled out with a wide grin, his eyes sparkling. Rick’s eyes widened as he spoke, and Daryl felt his gut clench in anger. There were a couple ways to interpret that statement, but the heat in the other man’s eyes? That was all sexual and it was directed at Rick. He grit his teeth, trying not to react by punching the bastard like he’d been itching to all day. Dixon’s didn’t share well with others, and never their lovers. Rick cleared his throat as Shane smirked widely, looking smug.

   "I’m gonna ignore that for right now Shane okay? There’s too much going on right now to even think of a reply ta what ya just said so I’m not even going ta try." Rick muttered, looking uncomfortable as he shifted where he stood. A look of regret flashed over the dark haired man’s face as he registered what his words had done to his friend. Daryl was surprised to see that, knowing that the Shane that Rick had killed to save his own life had been far passed regretting anything that he did to anyone- least of all to Rick.

   To be completely honest Daryl had thought this version was already too far gone too, just basing his opinion on what little he had observed since he had remembered the future. He hadn’t seen much of a difference between the hot tempered asshole that had ended up dying, and the asshole that was sleeping with Rick’s wife and playing big guy on campus. But that snap judgment just reaffirmed that he was looking at this Shane and seeing the psychotic version of his future self still and that needed to change.

    Somehow, in less than a day, Rick had brought out the sane version of this man and Daryl couldn’t see how he had done it just yet. Beyond speaking with Shane, absolving him and defending him when Lori tried blaming him for everything, Rick hadn’t done anything other than being himself. And the change Daryl was seeing now was mind boggling, if he wasn’t witnessing it then he wouldn’t of believed it in fact.

    "Ah man. I’m sorry Rick. I didn’t mean to go that far, I swear. I’m just so damn glad yer alive and that yer not angry with me that my mouth got a little out of control there for a second. Ya need time, I get that, but ya gotta know I’m still here and any idiot can see this guy’s got it bad for ya and that ya like him too. I’m just saying the last time you returned someone’s interest I stepped down so that Lori could have you and I can’t do it again." He murmured quietly, his voice intense and apologetic at the same time. Rick shifted again and it took everything in the hunter to stop himself from stepping in front of his lover to block him from Shane’s sight.

   "I won’t do it. I saw ya laying there in that bed and I couldn’t do a damned thing to help ya and I knew it. I listened for a heartbeat and I didn’t think there was one. So I gave up then too. I can’t give up again cause it would kill me in a way I don’t think I’d come back from. I might still be walking around, but I wouldn’t be me anymore man. Ever since I met ya, you’ve kept me on the straight and narrow- you might have noticed, but I do some pretty stupid shit when yer not around." The curly haired man added, his voice low and serious as he finished speaking. His eyes never left Rick though and it was almost as if he was making sure that the other man was really listening to him as he spoke and not off in his own world.

    As Daryl listened to the other man’s statement some things started falling into place in his mind. When Rick had come into camp before he had barely noticed this man, had barely spoken to him for at least a week and that must have hurt the other cop as much as Daryl hated to acknowledge. Rick only had eyes for the woman who had moved on without a second thought and his son back then, and while Daryl didn’t blame him considering that he knew his lover and how his mind worked. Seeing his family alive must have been the ultimate high and it was obvious that Rick hadn’t even considered that Shane still had a thing for him still. In Rick’s mind his family had been the most important thing, and that still hadn’t changed. The Rick of today was still fiercely protective of his family, as shown by how he had handled the department store, only his family had grown and he knew just what kind of woman his wife was now.

    If you added in the fact that to Lori had rejected Shane the moment that Rick had returned- cutting him out of her little world without a second though and the blame game she had started with Shane as the scapegoat to her choices and everything that went wrong then his sudden trip to the cuckoo’s nest suddenly made a hell of a lot of sense to the hunter. This man had been in love with Rick for god knows how long, considering he was implying he’d stepped aside for Lori and all. Shane had apparently used the woman as a proxy for Rick after his ‘death’ and when the other man came back alive his lack of reaction at first, then dismissal later on had proven to be one of the final stressors in his decent into madness. And unlike Rick’s little trips around the bend Shane hadn’t had anyone to reign him in and bring him back over the brink. Lori had made the break worse with her behavior and Rick hadn’t given a damn because he’s been fed up with the betrayal and Shane’s behavior so he hadn’t stood a chance at recovering in the slightest. With Rick’s support Shane had one hell of a chance to stay the man that the hunter knew Rick had called his brother.

   What Daryl didn’t know was if Rick had figured out what was happening yet, if his lover knew just how much he meant to the man that he had ended up having to put down like a rabid dog. As much as Daryl hated the thought of having Rick play buddy buddy with a man that was still in love with him he couldn’t rightly condone keeping Rick from being Shane’s support. Not when it meant that the other man was going to repeat what had gotten him killed before. Daryl wasn’t going to have the blood of one of their group on his hands just because he was a jealous asshole that didn’t want to share his lover in any way. Fuck, when did he become such a fucking bleeding heart again? The Daryl that had started this off wouldn’t have a damn issue letting Shane hand himself with the rope of his mental deficiencies if it meant keeping what was his.

   The hunter looked over to his lover and saw the subtle softening of his features as the other cop’s words sunk in. When he saw the flash of regret in Rick’s eyes he knew that the other man had connected the dots too. They had to handle this carefully or it would end up the exact same way this time around and the hunter knew that wasn’t an option now. Rick was this man’s reason to keep going on now plain and simple, and he had probably been before the world ended if the couple were completely honest with themselves.

   If Rick had never found the camp before than Daryl had a feeling that he or one of the others would have ended up having to put him down. Shane would have self destructed anyway in the end of things because Lori wouldn’t have ever been enough to keep him grounded to reality and he would have become a danger to the group survival sooner rather than later. It was clear that Shane hadn’t really ever loved Lori now that they had hear him out. Hell Shane being with Lori had only been making his mental state worse if they were still being completely honest- the constant weight of that betrayal had torn at the other man.

   And then there was the child that Lori was almost certainly was carrying now. Judy would have been, and still might be a permeant reminder of the mistake in judgment that Shane had made. She would be reminder of the way he had used her mother as a substitute for the man he had loved and that little fact might still might pose as a problem if they didn’t have Shane firmly grounded in reality by the time Lori made her grand announcement that she was pregnant and wasn’t sure who the father of the child was.

    In the other walker hell the revelation of Judy’s existence combined with everything else had been the final straw that broke the then bald cop’s resolve to live, because there was no way in hell Shane had expected to walk away from that field if he failed in killing Rick. Hell Daryl would have put him down himself just as soon as he had put together what had happened back then, and he hadn’t even realized he was falling for their leader back then. It would have been on the principle that Shane was a mad dog that was a danger to them all if they kept him around and Shane wouldn’t have just walked away from the camp if they had tried to make him.

    "Shane…" Rick murmured softly, his voice soft and pained in a way that somehow expressed just what he was thinking and feeling at the moment. The other man smiled at him grimly, before tapping his shoulder- smiling more naturally and motioning to where he knew Rick had been shot with a hard look in his eyes. Daryl felt that possessive beast rise in him chest again as the focus was shifted back to the subject of taking care of Rick’s wound. He knew that it needed looking at but the hunter still felt that Rick’s care was his job, not Shane’s. There was no need for the other man to have his hands on Daryl’s lover.

   "There's no need to respond right now Partner, you’re here and that’s good enough for me now. We need to look over that wound ya have though, cause like I said I can tell yer not healed up and while we might have a Doc in camp thanks ta you, that thing getting infected isn’t an option." He prompted, his voice taking on a serious note. Daryl caught Rick’s gaze for a moment, words bouncing between them unspoken before nodding slightly. The hunter would keep a handle on the possessiveness that was burning in his chest, because fighting the other cop over Rick’s care just wasn’t worth it in the long run. Rick’s lips twitched and he sighed, before looking back at Shane, who was rocking back on his heel and looking like he didn’t have a care in the world as he waited. The Sheriff’s best friend’s lips turned in a grin and he motioned towards the RV with an almost grandiose gesture that exuded a playfulness that hadn’t been there before.

    "There’s more light ta work with in there since it’s gotten dark and all and I’m pretty sure we don’t want ta take care of this by one of the fires in tha open. I’m sure Dale won’t mind us playing Doctor in his RV considering ya just saved the asses of a good chuck of our camp today." He suggested, even though the tone of his voice made it clear it wasn’t just a suggestion. Daryl snorted as Rick rolled his eyes and started towards the parked vehicle without a single protest, which had the other cop chuckling as he followed behind them. As they got closer to the vehicle Daryl nodded to the old man, who was perched on the top of his vehicle, watching the camp and surrounding area with sharp eyes, a shotgun by his side.

    "We need to check Officer Friendly’s gunshot wound over and see just how well he’s on tha mend. Mind if we use the RV ta do it? It’s tha only place where we feel comfortable doing it and his kid’s finally down for tha night. We waited so the kid didn’t have ta see it and worry about how his da was doing." He grunted, well aware that he was speaking more than he normally did to the others in the camp today. He was going to have to get used to doing that again, but this was a start Dale raised an eyebrow at the three men, before motioning them inside without a word. Daryl nodded his thanks as he opened the door up and motioned Rick inside. Shane followed his lover, before Daryl climbed in himself, wondering just what he was going to find under Rick’s shirt because he had noticed that Rick wasn't doing so well too. And he knew just how stubborn his lover was when it came to admitting he wasn't doing well so that wound could be festering for all he knew.


	9. Examinations and Confrontations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Another large Chapter for my lovelies. This story should start picking up pace soon enough, and don't worry about it being abandoned. I've gotten tons of lovely reviews that keep the bunny that gnaws at my toes to keep me writing nice and plump, so I don't think it's going anywhere anytime soon :P.
> 
> PS: Reviews make me very happy and a happy writer actually writes more- it's scientifically proven I swear. :P
> 
> *Edited 2/10/2015

     Once inside the RV Rick found himself with two men looking at him expectantly, waiting for him to undress so they could examine his gunshot wound. He rolled his eyes at thier behaviour, before unbuttoning his shirt and shrugging it off, knowing that the longer he delayed thier poking and prodding the more antsy they would become and there had been enough tension between the two men tonight in his opinion. Both men hissed as the shirt came off, followed by his undershirt, showing his chest to their curious gazes. Rick jumped as Shane’s finger brushed over his ribs gently, wondering what the hell they were reacting to, it wasn't like he was bleeding everywhere or anything.

      "Fuck!. We need ta get some meat on ya Grimes! This kinda shit aint going ta fly with me. Yer skin and bones!" Daryl muttered, anger clear in his voice as his eyes fixed on the clearly visible ribs that had been revealed when Rick had taken his shirt off.  Shane nodded in agreement with the other man's words, his eyes blazing, and a guilty look shadowing them for some reason. Rick flinched slightly as his lover and friend took his condition in. He hadn’t gotten this reaction in the other time line- not even from Lori in the privacy of their tent when they had sex that first night. It was… disconcerting to get it now when he was pretty sure that he was in better shape now than before, in the other timeline and when he woke up in this one. So he was a little skinny, it wasn't going to kill him.

       Morgan had been pretty clear in limiting activity on thier trip here and the other man constantly had him snacking on things even though Rick thought it was a bit wasteful to have him eating so much when their supplies wouldn't last forever. Well to tell the truth his mother hen friend hadn't bothered him about eating so much today since they had gotten to camp and started settling in for the moment, but the thought process was still there. He'd given Rick an earful about it when he'd gone into his tent for the supplies in fact because he had been watching Rick and wasn't too happy about what he had seen. And Morgan was in no way pleased about his decision to let Shane and Daryl 'play' doctor with him tonight considering that the Doctor had a suspicion that both of them were attracted to him. His friend thought he was inviting trouble by indulging their request and he might just be right.

      Rick knew he had felt as weak as a damn kitten at times in the past week, which is why he had listened to Morgan's overly protective advice for the most part. Still his worry didn't change the fact that no one had given his condition a second glance before and he hadn’t realized that he was as bad off as he was seeing in their eyes. Maybe he should have taken Morgan’s rants about taking their time getting here a little more seriously when they were on thier way to Atlanta, but he couldn't change that now. He'd have to apologize to his friend for being such a stubborn asshole at some point, but that was a bit of a given. Stubborn asshole seemed to be his default attitude this time around.

      If Rick was completely honest with himself, when the doctor had tossed around jabs at exuastion and starvation Rick had thought he was kidding since he had been just fine the first journey- and he had traveled faster than he had with Morgan and Duane in tow. Rick had only slowed thier pace down more when he wasn't feeling so hot, and most of that was due to the fact that he was pretty sure that Morgan would have knocked him out if he didn't. The fact that his condition was being received like this repeatedly reinforced Rick's earlier thoughts of his luck in having lived as long as he had the first time.

     "I don’t know how the hell you made it out that damned hospital and to Atlanta like this Rick. Look at yer ribs! You’re starving man. I shouldn’t have hugged you so hard and there is no way in hell you should have picked Carl up earlier. Promise me ya won't do that again until we get you better." Shane whispered- the horror he was feeling clear in his voice. The other man shook his head, before drawing himself away from looking at Rick's ribs and focusing in on the bandage with a wary look in his eyes as he did.

      "I’m half afraid to see what’s under there Grimes. If you’re starving then there's no way in hell that yer healing at a normal rate. That means we ain't lucky and you've still got a wound that needs caring for under there you stubborn jackass." He muttered, before taking a deep breath and removing the bandage, carefully peeling the adhesive from Rick's skin. Daryl snorted as he looked over the wound closely before shaking his head, his lips twitching as he looked up for a second.

       "It’s not as bad as it could be given the fact you have damn near nothing covering yer bones and ya got out of a coma not too long ago, but yer not fighting anytime soon and I should kick yer ass for that motor cycle stunt at the store. If those damned walker’s hadn’t of taken yer bait you would have been screwed seven ways ta Sunday if they caught ya." Daryl rumbled, snorting under his breath again as Rick rolled his eyes, the hunter still examining him.

      Rick grunted softly as Shane punched his good shoulder making it ache a little, and maybe they were right about him in a fight right now if that impact had that result on him. Shane had an angry look in his eyes that stopped Rick from complaining about the hit though, but Daryl’s sharp eyes narrowed on the other man warningly as he straightened up. The hunter was ready for a fight and Rick knew it. If Shane wasn't careful he'd end up picking himself off the RV's floor.

      "You’re going ta have ta listen to the both of us until ya get healthy again man, promise me that ya will. You know that this? The condition yer in isn’t good Partner. Damn it to hell Rick, did you even rest in between the hospital and here at all? Ya need some fucking downtime ta recover more and get some damned weight put on before we do a damn thing, because traveling right now could mean we lose ya because ya get winded at the wrong fucking moment." Shane spat out abruptly, his voice raw with various emotions including sorrow and fear. Rick grimaced at the sound of his voice, wishing he would have kept saying no to Shane's demand to examine him

      "Ya could have gone down anywhere from the hospital to here and not gotten back up and we woulda never known ya were out there. There woulda been no rescue party coming for you, nothing brother." Rick grimaced at that, knowing that if he hadn’t have shown up Daryl would have left the group to try and find him in the very least even if Shane didn’t know that himself. But he understood what his friend was trying to say right now and it made him feel strangely guilty for not listening to Morgan's advice even if he knew that he couldn't have.

       He hadn’t really given much thought to that part of his recover either time if he was honest with himself. The first time he had just bolted from the hospital and soldiered on, too confused with what he had woken up to in this world and needing to find his family to really give his own health a second thought. This time he got himself hydrated before he left the hospital at least, and that had enabled him to be coherent for Duane and Morgan- but he hadn’t really taken a breath besides driving since even when Morgan nagged at him to listen to his body. He'd been a man on a mission after all.

      They had made so many stops to raid gas stations and the like and that had involved fighting walkers almost every time. It had gotten to the point where Morgan had flat out refused to raid the last one they had passed before they had gotten the call over the walkies from Glen. That fact lead Rick to wondering just how he had gotten out of the car and to Atlanta to help Glen and his group without the gruff doctor knocking him out for his own good. Scratch that, the officer knew that his ‘new’ friend had been with him long enough to know that he would have found a way to go once he decided to help, but Morgan’s reaction when they met up after he had saved them made a hell of a lot of sense.

      Part of him wished that he had gotten off the bike, if for nothing else then Morgan being able to examine him and assure himself that Rick hadn’t harmed himself with his stupid stunt. Ah well that was in the past now wasn’t it? He focused his attention back on the two men and prepared to defend himself and his actions the best that he could- even knowing that they were right in thier worry for him. He had done what he could, and he was still alive so that had to count for something right?

      "I woke up in a hospital full of walkers Shane. I made sure I was hydrated, grabbed some supplies and ate what I could find that was still good and then I left because I was confused as hell as ta what was going on. I found Duane and Morgan not too long after that ta be honest and that man kept a good eye on me while we did what we needed ta. I know I need more recovery time, but this world just aint cut out for that. Not without having enough people to watch yer back and doing what needs ta be done ta make sure that this group is in an area that we can hole up in and live." He replied in a tight voice, ignoring the sympathetic look that Daryl gave him, and the irate one that Shane pinned him with at his response.

       Part of his insistence of hurrying was that he had needed to get to the Atlanta area to catch Glen and the others on their way back to the camp in all honesty, but he couldn’t exactly come out and tell Shane that. His partner would think that he had gone crazy during his coma and trip here even if Daryl decided to back him up on it. So he would stick to a combination of the future’s story and his current one. After all the best lies had some truth in them, didn’t they? He could see an amused look hiding in Daryl’s eyes though and promised himself he’d tease the other man about it later, when their every action wasn’t being observed by a man that was still in love with him or the camp as a whole.

      "Look Morgan really did keep an eye on me while we were on the road together, which is why he’s so damned protective of me now, if you haven’t noticed that little fact." He added a little reluctantly, feeling as if he was admitting a weakness and hating every second of it. Daryl snorted at that statement, his gaze turning to full on amusement instead of hiding it. Shane still looked disgruntled, but he was still stuck in the shocked state of mind over his condition. As much as it pained Rick to admit, Daryl had seen him in worse condition than this in the future, so his lover was taking it in stride. Hell Carl wouldn’t even be too freaked out considering he had gone into a quasi-coma on the teen after the prison had fallen. The hunter brought him out of his thoughts when he decided to speak finally, a small grin settling on his lips.

      "I remember that man’s reaction when we met up with him earlier today. He looked ready to throttle ya for what you pulled when ya went and saved out asses and now I don’t blame him a bit. That poor man had his hands full keeping ya on the mend didn’t he?" He grunted out playfully, before glaring at Shane again, his blue eyes sharp as he reached over and rubbed the spot where the other man had hit gently as if he was soothing it with his touch alone. Even though it didn't really hurt anymore the touch was nice and Rick enjoyed the sneakily stolen contact immensely.

      "If ya ever hit him again, even playfully, I’ll knock ya on yer ass and then kick a couple teeth out for good measure Officer Prick. Ya just got done telling him he’s in bad shape then ya do that shit? Yer not making me like ya anymore doing that crap- I can tell ya that." He warned in a tone of voice that would ice over thier surroundings if it could. Shane flinched, looking at where the hunter’s hand was, then at the hand that he had used without thinking. He was used to jokingly hitting Rick to get his point across, but he should have rethought that urge this time around. The redneck/other cop was right in telling him off about doing it.

      Daryl smirked as he realized the asshole had gotten his message, before grabbing the bag that Rick had gotten from Morgan’s tent and looking into it, slightly curious as to what supplies Rick had managed to grab up. The first time around they hadn’t had much period, because when they realized that they needed the shit other people had gotten the same ideas in their heads and there wasn’t much of it to gather. Knowing that his lover actually had supplies this time around was a damned relief considering everything if he was honest. Every little bit that they manages the squirrel away was a giant help in the future, considering at the fact that T-Dog had ended up relaying in his brother’s left over meds to stave off an infection and all.

       The hunter whistled as he looked over what the bag contained, looking up and grinning at Rick in pride after a couple minutes. The cop had done a damned good job with this kit, and if he knew Rick as well as he thought he did this was just a portion of what he had gathered. Rick grinned back, knowing that they hadn’t had any of this before, which had made keeping the damn gunshot uninfected almost impossible if he was honest with himself. He had a couple close calls considering the level of hygiene and disinfectent that they had to deal with. Hopefully this shit helped him heal faster and kept the wound from getting too painful.

     "Damn Grimes, ya really made sure ya had what ya needed before ya left didn’t ya? I always knew you were hiding a brain somewhere. Ya picked one hell of a time ta showcase it too." Daryl hummed cheerfully as he got out what he needed to treat the would with a practiced speed, Rick flushed with embarrassment at the half insult, knowing that Daryl was prodding at him for getting himself killed after he had died. The hunter handed Shane the bandages, and wet a piece of gauze with antiseptic in preparation to clean the wound.

     Daryl held onto Rick’s good shoulder, bracing him in preparation for the sting that would accompany the cleaning as his pinkie moved over the skin under his hand comfortingly. As he started cleaning Rick stiffened, biting down on his lip with a grunt at the pain that burned through him as the alcohol made contact with the jagged edges of the gunshot wound. Shane rubbed his lip with his thumb as he saw that, shaking his head as he did, his eyes bright with emotion as he watched Daryl work with attentive eyes before looking back at Rick face with a seriousness in his eyes that shocked the other man.

      "Don’t do that Rick. Ya don’t need to bite your lip open on top of everything else you got going on darling. Daryl’s going to be done cleaning that soon then we’ll get that wound bandaged up and you fed. Once you get fed up regularly you’ll heal faster I swear." The other cop murmured, his voice cracking ever so slightly with the emotions that he was feeling. Rick stopped chewing on his lip, blushing ever so sligtly at the spark that Shane’s touch had caused. He wasn’t ready to deal with still having those kind of feelings for Shane, even if it was just a spark right now. He loved Daryl, and he wasn’t going to do anything to jeopardize his relationship with the hunter. Hell the other man would skin and gut him like a damned deer if he did if he was truthful.

      It seemed like it took ages before the other man finished cleaning the scabbed, slightly red wound, before spreading ointment over it in smooth clean motions while the other cop’s attention was focused fully on Rick- making him uncomfortable because of the fact that he was causing him to remember times best forgotten. The man in question was regretting not just telling Shane hell no when he had demanded to see and take care of his wound more than ever. Rick was immensely grateful that Daryl was here to curb his partner’s behavior. God only knew what would have happened if he hadn’t come along.

      Shane’s hand only left Rick’s face so he could hand the other man the bandages when the hunter finished with the ointment and that was more of a relief to Rick then he would like to admit. Daryl applied what he was handed to the wound in quick, practiced motions that had been perfected in a time that hadn't been lived yet. When he was finished Rick ignored both of the men as he moved away from them and shrugged his shirt back on and buttoned it up, not wanting to feel as naked as he had for the past twenty minutes any longer then he had to. For his own piece of mind he was going to avoid a repeat of this scene if he could, because it had been too damn awkward for his comfort.

      The two men who had been at each others throats less than an hour ago seemed to have come to an agreement of some sort through this experience though, because even though Daryl looked like he wanted to punch Shane for his actions he wasn’t glaring at him per say. Shane, for his part, was grinning at the hunter approvingly, like they had just conquered some hurtle by cleaning up Rick’s wound together. Honestly this easy going and friendly Shane that Rick was seeing was the one that the cop had grown up with and seeing that version when he remembered what Shane turned into was... Disconcerting to say the least.

     Part of him had feared Shane was too broken to go back to the person he had been before the world ended as they knew it and the other man had taken to sleeping with Rick’s wife. The sheer mental stress the other cop had gone through already bothered Rick, because he couldn’t be certain that this ‘improvement’ was a real thing. Hell for all he knew Shane could be stuck in a euphoria of having him back and still his friend even after knowing that he had slept with Lori. The newly returned cop was honestly afraid that one wrong step with Shane would have him reverting back to the mindset that had been taking a hold of him before Rick had found them. All Rick knew was that he had to watch Shane closely, and be as supportive of him as he could without leading him on when it came to his attraction to him. Shane had to be the one that fixed himself in the end, he could only help so much without becoming a problem himself.

     Rick jumped, startled out of his sudden dark thoughts as a hatch opened above his head and Dale peeked down at the three men in his RV. He looked worriedly from Rick to the two men who had been part of his group since damn near the beginning, a question clear on his aged face. Rick had to control his shocked reaction, because while he knew Dale was the resident worry-wart of their group even now. Rick hadn’t really talked to the older man yet and he was concerned for him already if the cop was reading him correctly. It was funny, he must have forgotten just how caring Dale was when it came to the people he watched over and joining the camp made Rick one of those people apparently.

     "Is everything going okay in here guys? The three of you have drawn some attention with all that ruckus in there. Ya might have some company in the form of Grime’s ex-missus if you take too much longer- just so ya know. Andrea stopped her from storming in after tha first shout, but she aint gonna be able ta hold her back forever without doing something like knocking her out." He asked, his voice deceptively light as his eyes traveled back to Rick as he spoke. Shane snorted loudly, looking over his partner with a glint in his eyes before looking back at Dale.

      "This idiot’s lucky to have made it this far in tha condition he’s in Dale, but then again he was in a coma for a couple weeks after the power went out so it coulda been a hell of a lot worse. He’s extremely malnourished, and that’s made it so he’s not as healed as he should be given the amount of time that’s passed since he got shot. We’re damn lucky it’s not infected in fact." He replied, purposly giving Dale an honest overview of the old man’s newest duckling- apperently knowing just what that information would do to the older man. Rick was proven right in his suspicions when Dale’s eyes sharpened, then took on a soft look that Rick associated with how the older man had looked at Andrea and her sister- like they were one of his own children and that made Rick groan in his head. He had no idea how being included in the ranks of Andrea and her sister in Dale’s eyes would play out. The older man sighed deeply, shaking his head.

       "Alright then boys. He’s welcome to stay in here until he’s healed up. Those tents are alright for those who are in okay health, but if he’s as bad off as you’re implying then this is the best spot for him ta recover in and I’d feel more at ease with him inside where it's nice and warm. It get’s cold out there and if he catches something it won’t be a good thing for him in his current state." He intoned, sounding more like a father than a stranger at that moment. Rick sighed too, Shane was a manipulative asshole still, that much was for sure. If Rick was bunking in here then he wouldn’t be sleeping next to Daryl’s tent and that would take care of one of the other man’s worries.

     It looked like Rick had thought that Shane was accepting Daryl’s place in his life a little too soon. Well that wouldn’t fly. Even if he didn’t appreciate Shane’s meddling, his son was in no condition to be alone out there, and Rick wasn’t going to force Carl to stay in his mother’s tent just because Dale was mother henning because of Shane. He had survived this in a tent before and he would do it again plain and simple.

      "I appreciate the offer Dale, but my son’s currently in my tent and I aint leaving him alone period. I’ll be fine in a tent, I promise. Shane here’s just being an overprotective ass. I swear." He declined, trying to be polite even though he was fuming at what his partner had done inside. Daryl snorted as he finished speaking, rolling his eyes even as Shane looked like he was going to blow a gasket over his words. His lover made to open the door to the RV, pausing to look over his shoulder as Rick, and then Shane. There was a clear smugness in the hunter’s expression and the way he held himself as he did though.

     "If ya know anything about Friendly there Officer Dick it’s his stubborn streak. Merle and I have some extra blankets we can give him, but he aint going to stay here warm and cozy like while his kid is out there still suffering from his night terrors with only his ma for comfort. Hell we’ll be lucky to keep his trouble prone ass out of the fire if it comes down to a walker attack and ya know it so don’t fight him on this. I saw some of the crazy shit he pulled in Atlanta to get a case wrapped up." He intoned, his voice wry as he spoke. Dale’s lip’s quirked as he looked over the younger man before nodding and shutting the hatch after he leaned up. Well that was one crisis averted, let’s hope they could keep that up.

      Rick bit back a snort at the fact that Daryl’s home precinct had become a euphemism for the future that hadn’t happened yet. He had to admit it was a pretty solid cover for their easy interactions though. Since neither of these two knew that those cases had never happened they had to accept what the hunter was saying at face value, Rick had a feeling Daryl would enjoy that fact entirely too much in the coming weeks and years. Shane’s shoulders slumped as he looked back over Rick, a grin flickeing over his face as the scowl faded and he shot Daryl a look. He shook his head, chuckling.

      "Now I know you really worked with this guy close like. Yer right though. But that doesn’t mean that I have to be happy about it considering everything that’s happened in the last coupla weeks and all, but what the hell. Rick if ya get yer stubborn ass sick I’ll hog tying ya in here and Carl can bunk with me if he doesn’t wanna sleep with his momma still." He murmured sounding resigned, before he glared at Daryl- but there was a playful camaraderie there now instead of the possessive almost hate that had started to form since he had come into camp with his partner. It was a pre-walker kind of playful Shane glare if there was ever one.

      "And stop calling me Officer Prick ya Redneck." Shane added in his direction with a mock sneer. If Rick was right he was teasing the hunter now instead of trying to alienate him and that was just scary to see. The cop snorted in his mind as realization of what was happening hit him hard. Apparently his partner had actually decided that if Daryl wasn’t going to step down and if Rick cared about the Hunter then he was going to try his hand at sharing the man in question and was putting out feelers for the situation he was trying to make in his own way.

      Only Rick didn’t think Daryl would go for that considering how possessive he knew his lover to be. There were times- before the group had been whittled down to only his family, that he had thought Daryl was going to beat in another survivor’s face for giving him the look over. The hunter might have done just that if any of those lookers had even suggested what Shane was trying to do. Daryl just snorted at the statement though, giving Shane a hard look as he did. Rick supposed that the only reason that his partner wasn’t swallowing his teeth was Daryl knew that it would do more damage than good in the end.

     "Keep hoping there Officer Dick. Come on Grimes- ya need to eat some more then get yer ass ta bed. If ya want to be of any use to us anytime soon then we need ya at yer full strength." He rumbled, his eyes glinting as they landed on Rick for a moment, before he opened the door and headed outside to see just what the hell Dale had been talking about when he had mentioned that they had drawn a crowd.

     Rick grinned, unable to help himself as he followed his lover from the RV- Shane not far behind him, chuckling like he’d just been told the world’s most amusing joke. Rick paused in his exit soon though when he noticed Lori standing close to the door, shifting on her feet and some of the others looking at the RV curiously. Andrea was standing not far behind her looking pissed off. Rick sighed, out of the frying pan and into the fire it seemed. He nodded to the blonde, thanking her with his eyes for what she had done so far and she snorted bringing her hand up and mock strangling Lori from behind as she raised an eyebrow.

    He couldn’t help it when his lips twitched in a smile at the motion and the other woman grinned, her eyes sparkling as her stance relaxed and she grinned back. God Rick had missed the blonde's sense of humor since she had died. His attention was unfortunately drawn back to Lori when she cleared her throat though and the moment of humor was over just like that. He grimaced inside because judging from her look this wasn’t going to be fun.

     "Rick. Please just talk to me. I’m worried about you baby. Everyone in the camp heard Shane’s reaction ta whatever he saw so I know something’s wrong with ya. I understand Shane and I hurt you, but please. Don’t take it all out on me. Like you said it takes two people ta do what we did, and you seem fine enough with Shane ta let him look ya over." She whispered in a soft and pained whisper that seemed to carry all over camp, her voice was even breaking as she spoke. He sighed, suddenly feeling damned tired and wanting to go to bed instead of dealing with this. Of course Lori wasn’t just going to let him go without pulling out all of the pity cards that she could manage to. She hadn’t blinked twice about his condition the first time around, hell she had pushed him to do more- to be more active in the camp so he couldn't find it in himself to believe she really cared about him now.

     But now that everyone knew he wasn’t miraculous healed from his coma things were ovbiously different. She was going to try to play the devoted wife who was being unfairly punished for something he was forgiving the other party for. Damn it, he had wanted a smooth break from her- one that didn’t involve all if this drama but he should have known better then to think that would ever happen. Once Lori had her claws in someone she didn't like letting go of them, even if she didn't want a damn thing to do with them anymore. If breaking things off with her was an easy thing he would have probably woken up in that hospital a truely divorced man.

      His mind went back to the divorce papers that he had found at their home with Morgan and just what they meant in the long run. He had only been in a coma less than 24 hours when she had drawn those up by her lawyer- a lawyer he assumed the she hadn’t just found that day. Lori had been considering divorcing him for a while if he was right, so he didn’t feel obligated to fake trying to work things out with her now. He was going to stick with his decision even if he ended up looking like an asshole to the rest of the camp damn it!

       Somehow knowing about those papers released Rick from any guilt he may have felt in suddenly cutting his ties with her in his mind. If he hadn’t found the papers, if thing had gone like before when he hadn't spent much time in his old house before moving on. Well Then Rick might have tried to break things off more gradually, but it would have killed him since Daryl was his Daryl. All he wanted was to be able to be with him and be accepted by the people around them- his make shift family that didn't even know him for the most part yet.

       But Rick had a sick feeling that was going to be one hell of a fight to achieve if his ex-wife had her way. Lori shifted more as he didn’t respond right away, tears gathering in her giant brown eyes and making his gut clench. He had loved her for a long time, and Rick had never been able to handle her crying well and Lori knew that. She was trying to use that to her advantage right now. Too bad she's been dead to him for years now and he'd gotten over not being able to see her cry in that time, just like he had gotten over a lot of things over the years. He steeled himself, knowing that Lori wasn't going to take what he had to say well.

       "Just listen to me for a second Lori. I’m not punishing you by acknowledging that our marriage has run it’s course. Hell you made the first step in ending it when I went into the damned coma after getting shot ta tell ya the truth. We haven’t been us in a long time and you know it. I’m not going to pretend everything worked out just because I survived and you never actually sent the papers into tha state ta make the divorce official." He replied slowly, his voice strong as he gathered himself to say what needed to be said right here and now.

      "I’m still going to be here for Carl, still going to help keep you alive. I’m just not your husband anymore and ya just gotta accept that. As for ya being worried about me? Well I got three mother hens on my ass keeping me in line right now- four if you count Dale there. I’m going ta be fine so ya can just stop." He added, trying to keep his voice level- because while he might have come to terms with everything mentally, the divorce papers were still a new hurt no matter how freeing they were to him in general.

       Her face fell as she was rejected once again, those pretty eyes darkening as her gaze shot to the man standing in front of him, and the one still in the RV’s doorway. A sneer graced the face he had once adored with all of his being- showing the ugly side he had glimpsed before Shane had gone off the deep end and tried killing him. Before he had killed Shane in self defense and she had looked at him like she wished that he’d been the one who hadn’t come back. That ugliness had only gotten worse before she died.

      "Who the hell says you get to decide that Rick? We’re still married- you can’t just up and decide that’s not true- you have obligations to me damn it. Even if the world has gone to hell in a hand basket that doesn’t change and ya know it- you took the same vows I did "Till death do us part". I had those paper’s drawn up because I didn’t know if I could handle being a cops wife- not after you almost died on me like the selfish ass that you are." Lori spat at him angrily as she put her fists onto her hips.

       "So sue me for being an idiot when I'm emotional, but I didn’t go through with the divorce though. We’re still married and you’re just going to have ta accept that." She added with a sneer, sounding as hateful as the version of his wife that had died had been at times. Rick flinched as his own words were twisted and thrown back at him with the reminder of his obligations and their vows tacked on for an added punch in the gut. Fuck, Lori still knew just how to hurt him and he hated that about her.

      Rick saw Daryl stiffen at his ex-wife’s words and resisted the urge to lay a hand on his shoulder to calm him down before he did something that they would both regret as he looked at Lori hard and gathered himself again. This had to be some damned joke that he wasn't getting. She couldn’t really expect him to back down and fall in line with her demands just because she was being insulting and cruel to him, could she? How much of a wimp had he become while he was with her if this had worked on him before? Rick ignored the nagging voice in the back of his mind that told him he had indeed caved to these tactics before the world had ended, and even after in the other time line. He wasn’t that man anymore and Lori would have to learn that the hard way it seemed, because she was used to the pushover version of himself and would quickly find out that he had found the pair of ball she had chopped off during their marriage and reattached them. He couldn't afford to be the man that she thought he was- not if they wanted to survive in this world.

    "It’s not going to be any easier ta be my wife with the world like it is now Lori. People are going to die matter what we do and ya know it. Hell I could die tomorrow if some of those walkers out there get lucky and I make a mistake. If ya couldn’t handle it before, then ya sure as hell can’t handle it now and I’m not willing to jeopardize anyone I care about because of whatever drama would follow that inability. So please just accept that we’re over and move on. I'm not changing my mind Lori." He replied, trying and failing to keep the edge out of his voice as he spoke his mind to her. Why couldn't she just accept that their marriage was over?

     She flinched at his reply and the darkness that had painted her eyes faded as quickly as it had come, replaced instead by tears and a vulnerability that would have killed him once upon a time. Rick watched in a detached way as Lori’s hands went to her stomach. The cop felt his heart lurch as he realized with a sickening certainty that Judith hadn’t been born early at the prison. Daryl was stiffening in front of him as he watched the woman too, and Rick knew his lover was realizing the same thing. Lori had royally screwed with Shane’s mind by holding back the fact that she had been pregnant this early on in the other time line.

      The bottom line was the fact that Judy could still be his, but she could be Shane’s too depending on just how far along Lori was, and if she was just betting on the fact that she was pregnant now instead of knowing it. As of this moment he had no idea how far along Lori was, and even with the baseline of Judy's birth at the prison he had no idea of when she'd be born this time around if they suceeded in keeping Lori healthy and relativly stress free during her pregnancy. Fuck, Rick knew that he should have gone to bed with Carl when he had the chance, because now his head was starting to pound the more he thought.

      "I need you to try and forgive me for my mistake Rick, please. Not for me, but because I think I may be pregnant. I haven’t had my period since before this whole mess started. And.... and I know If I am that it could be yours or it could be Shane’s. But I need you to stay by my side because I can’t do this alone. And before you suggest I stay with Shane, he’s not my husband. You are and I need you." She murmured, her voice cracking as she looked at him, tears flowing as she tried to plead with him. She was trying to hit all of his soft spots with this- tears, family and the fact he had been a sucker for her begging before.

      Daryl’s fists clenched in front of him and he stopped his hand as it rose on it’s own to touch him. Parading that he cared for Daryl right now would only set Lori off and if he ever wanted to go to bed that couldn’t happen. He needed to diffuse this situation somehow before Lori got that foothold that she was trying for by announcing the pregnancy in front of everyone like this. Damn it the baby was just another angle for the woman to play, and that fact did not sit well with Rick at all. No child shoul ever be used as a pawn to keep it's parents, or a marriage in general together.

     "Fuck." Rick heard Shane mutter under his breath behind him as he tried calming his racing heart. He had long accepted in the back of his mind that he was Judith’s father in name only. The timing of Lori’s announcement had pretty much spelled that out to him, even if he had thought that he had seen himself in the little girl that he and Daryl had raised as thier own. He ran a shaking hand through his hair, his mind racing now as reality hit him. Judy might still be his child by blood.

    He knew that couldn’t fold to Lori's wishes no matter what she did. Rick wouldn’t, because that would mean either giving up Daryl or hiding and sneaking around with him like he was ashamed of the other man and he wasn’t. But he was selfish enough to fight to be with him. All he had to remember was the fact that Lori had tried killing Judith at the Greene farm when she had officially found out about her before and if she didn’t get her way she could try to do it again. Hell Rick had a feeling she would try to do it again if she thought it would help keep him in line period.

     Damn it to hell. Rick had to protect his little girl if he could- because if she died because he was being selfish he didn’t think he would able to handle it. Not when he had held her, seen her grow before and he wanted to see her grow up again on a safe place this time around. To get a chance of doing that he had to make sure that Lori didn’t feel the need to try and get rid of Judy for any reason and he didn’t know how he was going to do that if he was completely honest with himself. What the hell was he supposed to do now?

    Daryl snorted loudly, breaking the tense spell that had been cast over the group with the sudden announcement that Lori had made. Rick’s lover’s blue eyes were drilling holes in the still slight woman and his face a mask of pure anger. He honestly looked like he wanted to take a swing at her, even though Rick knew he never would because that wasn’t how his lover operated. He understood why the other man would feel the need to do it though. He understood the feeling quite well at the moment, because Lori was using Judy as a pawn in this battle of wills. She was treating Judy as something to control him with and that pissed Rick off..

     "You’re one piece of work, trying ta use the fact that Rick here’s soft when it comes ta kids- his kids in particular, ta trap him in a loveless marriage that you were more than ready ta jump ship from. Ya can’t make him love ya in that way again by waving a baby that could be his, or the product of your romp with Officer Prick over there in his face." Daryl spat at his ex-wife, his voice full of disgust and anger. Lori looked at him sharply as he spoke, the tears in her eyes drying up as if they had never been there in the first place and that dark, hateful side showing it’s ugly head once again as she looked over Daryl like he was a piece of trash.

    Rick tried to stop his hands from clenching, but it was a fools choice because there was no stopping his reaction to her actions when it came to his Hunter. No one looked at Daryl like that when he was around and got away with it. Not while he had a choice in the matter, and no matter what corner Lori thought she had painted him into he still had a choice here. As he got ready to do something Lori's lips turned into a snarl and she spoke.

    "I don’t care how well you think you know my husband Dixon, but you aint getting into his pants I can tell ya that much. I see how you’ve been panting after him since he got here riding on the back of that damn bike with you, but he’s not a damned fag like you are- I can assure ya that fact from experiance. So back off and mind your own damned business will you? This is between Shane, Rick and I- not some damned druggy asshole who wants to fuck my husband." She sneered haughtily, like she was better than the man who hunted most of the camps meat while she lazed around like the burden that she was.

     Rick stiffened fully, his nails digging into his palms painfully as she spoke those hateful words to his lover. When had Lori become so cruel- or had this always been there somewhere? No one had minded thier relationship before- even the ever god fearing Hershal had accepted them. Though from the looks that Lori was getting from her little audiance she wasn't gaining any popularity points here so that acceptance hadn't all been a byproduct of the world ending and people deciding that love was love. He grit his teeth, glaring at his ex-wife as he tried not to lose his temper with her.

    "Stop it Lori. Stop it right now before I do something I will regret. Now there’s plenty of people to help you if you are pregnant, and you know I would never shirk my duty as a father, and neither would Shane here. But I aint staying married to you just because your pregnant. And think twice before you go insulting Daryl again. That man has earned my respect dozens of times over, and from what I’ve heard around camp ya should be thanking him for the meat in yer belly at this very moment. As for the other thing? You might be surprised about what I am, so I wouldn’t go telling people yer view of my tastes." He bit out, his voice tight with anger and filled with a dark warning of his own. He might not believe in hitting woman, but she was proving herself to be unstable and the years he had lived with the dead waking and taking a bit out of the living had taught him how to handle the unstable elements that threatened his people. Not that he would kill her before Judy came and all. It would kind of defeat the purpose of saving his daughter if he did that right now.

     She froze at his declaration, her head turning to look at him with wide, unbelieving eyes. She shook her head in denial, unable to believe what he was implying with that statement. He watched as her hand went to her stomach again, protectively this time and a part of him wondered if that movement was just an act too. Lori had already proven herself to be quite the actress in this time line so far and he found himself unable to decide if she was even capable of feeling a damned thing for anyone. Not when she tossed her lover aside like he was nothing, tried to manipulate Rick and used their child as a pawn in her quest to have him.

     "No you can’t be gay Rick! I’ve been married to you for 12 years damn it you lying asshole. I think that I would have known if ya were secretly a fag after all of that time. We have a good sex life for godsake! And not to mention the little fact that we have a fucking son together. So no, you’re lying to fucking piss me off and I’m not going to fall for it" She protested, sounding alarmed and disgusted as she looked at him in horror. He smirked at her as Daryl snorted, covering his mouth and the sardonic grin that had formed there.

     Rick shrugged at her outrage carelessly. He had opened this can of worms up so he might as well follow through with it to the end. He had to admit to himself that he had never expected Lori to be this homophobic though. She’d never said anything like the shit that was spewing out of her mouth before and he was disgusted that he had shared over 12 years of his life with her if this was what she was really like.

     "Before I met you I was going with a guy, I never hid it- but ya never asked either so don’t say a damn thing about it. Why can I say Lori, I like a little variety in life sometimes." He replied sarcastically, laying it all out there. Rick would freely admit that there was a mean note in his voice now as her face morphed into complete disgust and she looked like she’d been slapped at the same time. He was damned tired and he didn’t want to deal with her dramatics anymore tonight. He’d figure out how to keep Judy safe in the morning, even if he had to talk some of the people in camp into stalking her to make sure she didn’t get the chance to swallow pills or do anything that would harm herself or Judy. Andrea looked like she was up for the challenge if the dark looks she was sending Lori at the moment was anything to go by.

      Lori paled dramatically as his words sunk in though, before looking at Shane for back up- hoping he would deny Rick’s claim since the two of them had been inseparable even before she had started dating Rick. He’d be able to tell her that Rick was lying out of his ass and trying to hurt her because what they had done right? Shane just rolled his eyes at the man in front of him with his lips twisting into a grin.

      "That’s one hell of a way ta finally come out as Bi brother. I didn’t think ya’d go as far as to admit ya’d dated a man before Lori though. That took some balls." He rumbled, sounding as amused as he looked as he confirmed what Rick said. Rick was half surprised that he hadn’t added the man had been him, but then again his partner could probably see the same thing he did when it came to his ex-wife. Without a backup Lori would become a danger to herself, to Carl and the child she was/could be carrying. And Rick could see Shane throwing himself under the bus for him, setting himself up to be that backup so Rick could be free. Fuck if that wasn’t making him a little more open to the idea of taking him back- with Daryl’s agreement of course.

       Whatever he was still feeling for Shane at the moment in time paled in comparison to what he felt about Daryl though. So even if the idea that Shane had proposed, sharing him that is, hit any sort of chord in him it would go no where unless Daryl initiated it himself. Hell Rick wouldn’t say anything about it until or if that moment happened, just in case Daryl took it as him trying to nudge the idea along.

       "I... I think I need to lay down now." His ex-wife murmered, looking and sounding faint. Shane exited the RV fully at that, coming over to her as she swayed. And when he touched her she didn’t flinch or bat his hands away from her body like she had earlier. In fact she leaned into him and Rick saw Shane flinch a little at that.

       The now out and proud cop wondered how the hell his partner was going to pull off being with Lori, if only in lip service and stay sane while he as doing it. Even if this only lasted until Lori had Judith it wasn’t going to be easy for Shane to do in his current state and Rick knew it. When the other man looked at him over Lori’s shoulder he put his worry into his eyes and Shane smiled, though it was brittle. He started moving Lori away from him resolutly, telling Rick without words that he was going to do this and he would be alright.

      Daryl whistled under his breath as Shane lead Lori to her tent, coming over and wrapping an arm around his middle in front of everyone without a seconds hesitation making Rick grin. Lori had as well as outed the hunter to the camp with her little outburst, and it was obvious that he didn’t mind looking like the guy that was hitting on a newly single man who didn’t mind a little male attention. It was more like the hunter was marking his claim in front of their people, but hey. At least Rick didn’t have to worry about slipping up and flirting with his lover, or being overly friendly with him now. Everyone would know Daryl was courting him and it wouldn’t look so odd hopefully. Daryl rested his chin on Rick’s shoulder.

     "Told ya that our little Asskicker was yers no matter what happened. And Prick’s on the road ta redeeming himself pretty damned quick right now by the way. He aint that bad when he’s not batshit crazy- and I’m starting to see just how much yer ex-wife had to do with that situation. We’re gonna have ta keep an eye on him and the shit she pulls since he’s doing us a solid by distracting her." Daryl murmured under his breath, leading Rick to his tent as he spoke. Rick sighed, grabbing the hand around his waist tightly.

     "We just need to get Lori to her due date Daryl. Maybe Hershel or Morgan can save her this time, maybe not but Lori’s going to be dangerous now that this has happened. She tried taking abortion pills at the farm last time, when she found out about Judith officially." He murmured under his breath, sharing what everyone had suspected from Maggie’s outburst with his lover. Daryl growled loudly, opening the door to his tent and nudging Rick in. The hunter knew that his lover had enough drama for the day, and he’d rather have Rick laying down and recovering rather than worrying about whatever shit storm his ex would start.

     "We aint going ta let anything happen to Lil Asskicker Rick. I promise ya that. Half of me thinks Lori shouldn’t make it through the labor this time though, just like before. She aint right in the head- anyone can see that and if ya add a newborn to her crazy? Judy’ll be in danger with her lording her mama status around trying ta control either ya or yer friend with her." He replied, climbing in after him after a quick check to see what was happening in their camp. Everything was calm though- no walkers and their people had settled even after the display that Lori had put on. That was odd but pleasant to see.

      Everyone had went back to their own business pretty damned quick in comparison to their reactions in the past and the future. Rick sighed, undoing his boots and placing them near the door in silence. Daryl watched, worried- because he hadn’t known how damned run down Rick was last time he’d come into camp. Specially considering the ass had gone with him into Atlanta right after getting here to try and save Merle.

      He should have guessed, given his lover’s later habits, though because he’d seen Rick push on even when he was half dead. Hell when he’d torn out that asshole Claimer’s throat with his teeth he’d been in worse condition than being malnorished with a single wound. However even knowing that didn’t ease Daryl’s mind about his lovers current condition, They had too much ahead of them for Rick to be anything other than 100 percent in the coming days so he had to fast track Ricks recovery as much as he could.

      "If Lori survives having Judy or not is up to god Daryl, but if she does I’m going to make sure she aint around Judy period. Every one of our people did a good job rearing her before, and I aint gonna have her hurt Judy to get attention." Rick finally murmured tiredly, leaning back onto the bedding next to their son.

      Daryl fitted himself against his lover without a word or hesitation, holding him against his body. He’d have to go get the mentioned extra bedding at some point later on, but for now Rick needed him right here and now and he wasn’t going anywhere. Slowly but surly Rick fell asleep, curled tightly against him and Daryl watched over his family thinking about the future- and what had already changed in their current time line. He hoped to god that they got it right this time, and that they didn’t have to suffer and die like before.

      He more than hoped in fact, because he knew that he’d do anything in his power to keep his family and people safe and to ensure their survival. Daryl had a hell of a lot more know how on surviving these conditions this time around, so did his brother, lover and son and that had to count for something. As he played the events of the day back to himself he tightened his grip on Rick, feeling possessive as hell as he realized that it was real fully. This time he was going to live his life to the fullest and if that meant putting up with Lori and her bullshit until she had Judy and got herself killed because he was sleeping with this man, for loving him the way that he wanted to. Well that would be a small price to pay.

      Daryl told himself that he would just have ta keep an eye on Rick’s overly flirtatious friend while the other man was playing decoy to make sure that he didn’t end up sacrificing that sanity that Rick was trying to hold onto along the way. The hunter might not be alright with sharing Rick, but Shane wasn’t so bad, not if he was willing to put himself through dealing with Lori’s crap just to make sure that Rick was happy, even if it wasn’t him. That took a hell of a lot of balls to do no matter how you looked at it and that spoke more that the pretty words Shane had thrown around today while he was flirting with the newly returned man. It was clear to the hunter that Shane wasn’t joking about loving Rick and that sucked..

      The hunter closed his eyes, forcing himself to stop thinking about all that for right now. It was out of his control anyways, and he’d be an idiot to sit and brew on it when he had Rick right here in his arms, and their son mere feet away. Sure there would be backlash from Lori at some point, but he could deal with that when it happened. The here and now was all that mattered to Daryl for the moment, and with that thought he felt himself slipping off to sleep for the night finally.


	10. Early Morning Arguments, Suprises, Training and Unpleasent Repeats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Not quite the same waiting period as the last two Monster Chapters, but this one still clocks in at over 8K words, making it a large chapter. 
> 
> Alright, so there have been questions/concerns about the WD timeline, and believe it or not the timeline has been worked out. According to Movie Pilot the Mid Season of season 5 is Day 514 of the outbreak. In my story Rick and Daryl last well beyond this.
> 
> Currently my story is at day 2 of Rick's return in season one which is Day 62 of the outbreak. Yes I am weird because when I write I tend to research a lot. Such as Lori's Pregnancy, I searched high and low for any information on it's timeline before I added the possibility of Judy being conceived before Rick's Coma. From the given timeline and an interview conducted with the actress who played Lori there is a slim possibility of it being true and since if it was that would mean that Lori would have given birth to Judy at full to just slightly late term, but it's a possibility all the same and I'm running with it. Since Season 3- the Season of Judy's birth ends on Day 322 we'll leave it at that. After all I've known people who've been pregnant and haven't really shown at 2 months+. Thus I don't have to have Rick fall into bed with her for her to dramatize him leaving her pregnant.
> 
> I have ranted enough, Clearly So I'll Shut up and let you lot enjoy this chapter yeah?
> 
> *Edited 2/10/2015

      Rick woke up to the dulled sun shining through the back of his tent and shout that instantly had him on edge. As he scrambled up and got his boots on he made note someone had laid a blanket over the top of his tent- blocking the sun out. Which is why he had slept in so long. He’d bet that the culprit had been one of the camps mother hens- Shane, Dale, Morgan or Daryl. He exited the tent with his gun out, ready for a fight only to see his son glaring at Lori, looking like he was going to lash out at her any second now.

      The cop held himself still as Lori snorted at whatever thier son had yelled at her, waving towards where he could see Daryl cleaning a deer just inside the woods with a careless flick of her wrist and a sneer gracing her face. Fuck, how long had he been out exactly? Why hadn’t anyone woken him up? And just what had crawled up Lori’s craw now and why was she involving their son in it? He had too many questions right now and not enough answers to them. That would have to change soon.

     "Just listen to me! That man over there is nothing more than a fag Carl, and he’s trying to turn your father into one too. I know that because I saw him coming out of the tent you and your father slept in this morning. I don’t want you around him. If I could I’d keep him away from your father, but that man doesn’t seem to realize just because he made a mistake when he was a teen doesn’t mean he has ta make one now." Lori spat at his son in a shrill rant, then she yelped almost as shrilly when Carl stomped her foot as hard as he could in response to her words. The kid didn’t even look sorry as he watched her reaction.

      Rick bit his lip to keep from laughing at the scene his ex-wife made hopping around as Carl snarled at her. But at this moment it was a choice between focusing on his amusement or doing something that would shut his ex-wife up. And he couldn’t afford to give into that urge no matter how insulting Lori got.

      "You’re just being homophobic mom! Daryl keeps this camp alive with his hunting and go and you say things like that about him? Are you stupid or something? So what if he likes guys? And so what if dad does too? You might think I’m stupid, but I’m not. You and dad? You were fighting long before the walkers came and neither of you were happy together no matter how hard he tried to hide it from me. If dad can be happy with Daryl then more power to him. The guy was always funny when he’d Skype dad from Atlanta, and he hasn’t been anything but nice no matter how you guys treated him since he and Merle joined up with the group." Carl spat out and Rick was left with wondering just how his son knew that they were playing the angle that he’d known Daryl before the world had been taken over by the walking dead.

      Lori stopped her sputtering and hopping abruptly as thier son’s words sank in, her eyes narrowing on the 10 year old boy in a dangerous way. Rick tensed where he stood, wondering what she was going to do and how he was going to handle it if she got violent with his son. Rick could see Daryl wiping his hands off out of the corner of his eye and knew that the hunter would be right there the moment anything happened. That eased Rick’s mind only a little bit as the cop realized that this was going to be one long pregnancy at this rate. Not if Lori was going to be spewing homophobic nonsense and acting like this at every turn.

      "Your father Skyped with that man before all of this Carl? And you knew about him? Why didn’t you say anything when he and his brother came into camp then?" She asked stiffly, a note of accusation in her voice as she spoke. It was like she was blaming thier son for all of this now and that was just freaking insane. Carl shrugged off his mother’s tone of voice though and Rick could see a hint of a grin on his face. He didn’t have a good feeling about where this was going, considering what he knew of his son.

     "You were already with Shane by the time they joined the camp, and I didn’t see the point in saying anything about dad’s friend to be honest with ya. So what if Dad knew him before the world ended- you two told me Dad was dead and Daryl didn’t want Shane anywhere near him then because of the fact you roped him into betraying dad’s memory and he didn’t want ta have to deal with trying not to punch him. So I kept quiet about knowing him and Daryl is teaching me things about hunting and tracking while you are ‘busy’ and when he has free time. It’s as simple as that." He replied, a snarky note in his voice as he glared at his mother. Rick’s lips twitched at the reply Carl had come up with and he saw Daryl coming closer with a shit eating grin on his face. His lover was enjoying Carl’s response completely.

       The teen was ignoring Shane, who was pale a couple feet from Lori as the preteen cleverly worked out a way to spend some more time with his second father. The other cop was near the tent that Lori had been using as her own since she’d gotten to camp and Rick had a feeling his brother hadn’t escaped his ex-wife’s clutches the night before, he’d have to check in on him later to see how he was handling everything. Lori reddened as Carl’s reply clicked in her mind and she actually raised a hand, and Rick got ready to move because it looked like she was going to slap the teen. Rick could see Daryl start to move faster too, so he knew that he wasn’t alone in that estimation. Hell even Shane looked ready to jump in.

      "Don’t you dare talk to me like that Carl Michael Grimes! I am your mother, and you will respect me. If I say I don’t want you sleeping in your father’s tent while he’s still making the mistake of thinking he’s like that redneck who claims to be a cop too over there, then you will not sleep in his tent. Do you understand me? I’m the one who kept you safe while your father was in a coma, not him. He’s the one that got shot and left us on our own while the world fell apart!" She shrieked in outrage, drawing her hand back as she spoke and saw that her words didn’t mean a thing to the preteen. Rick felt his face harden as rage tried taking over. But he stamped that feeling down. He had to remember Judith. They only needed Lori to carry her healthily and after that? Well Lori could take a permanent walk then for all he cared.

     "It’s nice to know what you really think of Daryl and I Lori." He rumbled from his spot, unable to stay quiet when she was threatening their child and insulting both Daryl and him like she was. Carl would only provoke her more if he didn’t step in, and he didn’t wan to to know what he would do if her hand actually connected to Carl’s face. His son didn’t need to know what Lori slapping him was like, the young boy may be disillusioned with his mother, but Lori had never raised her hand in anger to him before and Rick wasn’t about to let him have that memory now. Lori red face paled quickly, like all of the blood had been drained from her and her eyes wandered to him when his voice registered in her mind.

     The pregnant woman looked scared of him as she realized what she had been about to do, and that Rick had seen it all, not to mention the rest of the camp was now staring at her. The pale woman’s hand dropped like it was made of lead as she started backing towards her tent, and Andrea’s sister Amy rushed over from where she had been frozen in shock and ushered Carl away from the scene as Rick moved forward in long strides. He spared the female teen and his son a nod, before looking at Lori with cold eyes as Daryl came to a stop next to Shane. She stopped her retreat, her shoulder’s stiffening as she looked back.

     "Rick, I. Rick... I wouldn’t have hit him. Why the hell did you have to come back Rick? I was getting over you. Carl was being such a good boy and Shane. Shane was being a better father to our son than you are. I hope to god that this child is his, because now that you’re back everything is going to hell. Carl’s talking back to me and acting like I’ve committed the worst sins imaginable by not letting you go and you. You’ve given up on us just like I knew you would. I said it before, that I wondered if you ever loved us? I’m thinking I was right to wonder. Ya’d rather be with that redneck than actually be a man and take care of yer family fer once. Shane’s a better man then you will ever be." She snarled at him hatefully, going from meek and afraid to full on offense in a heartbeat as she tried to blame him for her actions. And she didn’t pull any punches as she strung together a rant that was tailored to hurt him the most and put him in the position of the asshole when he blew up and yelled at her. That wasn’t going to happen..

      Hell if she had said any of this to him the first time around he would have seen red and gone after Shane in a heartbeat, to angry with the fact that his wife knew Shane that way. Now all he felt was pity for her though. He’d been in camp less than a full day, and he hadn’t done anything more than end things with the woman. Rick hadn’t been rude or insulting to her, he hadn’t flaunted that he had moved on, or left her high and dry on supplies either so she had no reason to be like this other than pure vindictiveness. He could tell that her words were making the others unhappy as he saw them shifting from the corners of his eyes.

      Most of them were the ones that he had labeled his people in his mind, the ones who had made his family up before in the other time line. The would be core of his group were gathered around Lori and him, watching horrified and Andrea’s eyes were flashing as Glen shifted nervously where he stood. Both of the people he’d gotten out of the store looked ready to speak up in his defense, or just against Lori and her behavior in general since they really didn’t know him beyond the rescue.

     "Aw come off yer high horse Queen Lori. The man aint done nothing ta ya expect fer telling ya he aint going ta rock yer crotch anymore. Hell bells lady. Yer acting like he had a choice in leaving before this shit broke out and I know that aint true. That fucker got shot in the line of duty, protecting little shits like you from the kinda people who’d tear ya apart in a heartbeat." Merle spoke up loudly from behind Rick, who barely resisted the urge to jump in surprise at the loud, sarcastic tone the other man was using. He wasn’t used to Merle defending him in any way, and from the looks that some of his people shot the redneck his behavior was shocking them too. Lori gaped at him, looking at the gruff man like he was an alien.

    "Excuse me. Who said you could say anything about this? And as for Rick not having done anything to me? Bullshit. I’m probably pregnant, it might be his, and he’s walking away just like I always knew that he would. At least before he could blame his distance on the job. Now I’m wondering if he wasn’t fucking yer brother the whole time. He made sure to mention we’d been having problems before, and he introduced that fag to our son back then. Maybe that’s why we were having issues." She spat at him. Rick stumbled slightly as Merle stalked forward, his shoulder brushing him hard and the cop sent up a prayer that Merle didn’t do anything stupid at the insult that Lori was throwing in his brother’s direction. Merle was like Daryl when it came to family and Lori insulting his family wasn’t something he would tolerate.

     "Ya leave my brother out of yer little story making ya cunt. Darylenna never touched Grimes while he was yer man, the little fucks smart enough not ta go pissing in someone else’s yard- unlike yer new hero Shane over there. If he decides ta come sniffing now that Friendly’s tossed yer ass to tha curb? Well that’s none of yer damn business now is it? Now if yer done being a psycho cunt over nothing some of us around here actually have work ta do ta make sure one of those walkers doesn’t come in and decide ta make a snack outta ya. Yer drama isn’t welcome here and if I ever see ya raising a hand ta ya boy in anger again ya won’t be either. Pregnant or not, child beating isn’t something I’ll stand by and watch." Merle growled at the woman in response. He didn’t raise his voice or threaten Lori, which was surprising in itself. Lori’s fist clenched tightly as the other hunter spoke though, and his words were clearly making her angry. Shane stepped forward, touching her arm gently and she looked at him in surprise.

    "Just let it go for now Lori. It aint worth getting this worked up over, think about the baby. All this stress aint good for either one of ya." The other cop murmured huskily under his breath. Lori’s fist trembled, but she nodded in agreement, one of her hands going to her stomach as she let Shane lead her back to her tent. Shane looked back at Rick for a second, before following Lori into the tent. Rick sighed, frustrated as hell with his ex-wife and the situation in general. Merle snorted, looking over at his brother, then the rest of the people gathered before he whistled, high and sharp to draw their attention to him.

      "Tha crazy show’s over folks. There aint nothing more here ta see. We all have better things to do than stand around gawking like idiots now don’t we? Well get to it! It’s not going ta be light forever ya know and shit needs ta get done before night comes." Merle announced loudly in their direction. Andrea snorted, her stance becoming more relaxed now that Lori wasn’t there. She looked over to where her sister was sitting with Grimes’ boy before looking back at Rick and the Dixon brothers with a grimace.

      "That level of unreasonable ex isn’t just going to go away Grimes. I can’t blame ya for running the other way from it, but she’s going ta keep hounding at ya. Lord knows we’ve seen enough of her grudges since we all joined up and all." She informed the other man grimly, before a grin passed over her lips.

     "I gotta say you’ve got an impressive backing though. Those two over there mostly stick to themselves, but I think I’ve heard Merle speak more today than I ever have. And he was actually being nice in his own twisted way by defending you and his brother. I smell change in the air boys, and it is sweet. Amy’s good ta keep an eye on yer boy for a while if ya have something ta do. In fact I don’t think the brat’s going to let him out of her eyesight even if you don’t. Not after what we just saw. Lori’s insane if she thinks everyone’s just going ta bend ta her way of thinking cause she wants us ta. You saved a good number of us yesterday and we know what she’s like. Just remember that Kay?" She added, before starting to turn.

      "Wait up a second, Andrea was it? The four mother bears of the apocalypse have me on a kinda restricted activity order, but if ya can will ya gather up as many people as ya can? This place is too exposed and I wanna make sure that y’all have the basics in hand ta hand down. If for nothing else than for my own peace of mind. A herd of those things could come sweeping by anytime and I’d rather know that most of ya could try and hold yer own till someone could help. We’ll start fire arm training once we’re somewhere more stable." Rick spoke up, the knowledge that tonight was when the walker’s had overran this camp still strong in his mind. Andrea turned and raised an eye brow at him, grinning.

     "Now yer speaking my language. My daddy always told me that a little precaution never hurt no one and hand ta hand can be used in more situations then just fighting off walkers off. I’ll see who I can gather, but we do have some rather unfriendly members around here. And then we have some jackasses who won’t do a damned thing no matter what. I knew I’d like ya when you pulled that stunt ta save us." The blonde replied with a large grin. Rick ducked his head, feeling slightly embarrassed. It was surprising what being the person who saved a person rather than had to be saved did to people’s perception of ya.

      After Andrea had walked off Daryl started chuckling as he moved closer to Rick, that shy little grin holding the cop’s attention without the hunter having to try. That was Daryl’s relaxed, happy grin. One that Rick hadn’t gotten to enjoy a lot of in a long while. Daryl bumped his shoulder with his and shook his head.

     "Less than a day here and ya’ve already gotten a little fan club Grimes. It was a smart move slipping the training suggestion in like that though. We’ve got a coupla good fighters already but if that hoard blows through we’re gonna need them to be able to fight them off some, or we’re gonna lose a lot of people." Daryl murmured under his breath. Rick grinned at him slightly as the feeling of being in a strategy meeting with him washed over the cop. This was how he knew he could actually keep his people alive this time. Then the cop's min drifted to more unpleasant things. Like death, mostly who had died tonight before, and who should die again.

     "If Ed don’t get bit make him have an accident. He aint welcome here, and there’s no way ta drive him away without him dragging Carol and Sophia along with him. Make it a fatal wound, but leave a corpse for Carol to bash in, that was one of her turning points and ya know it." Rick suddenly muttered under his breath as his mind wandered back to the abusive asshole that one of his dearest friends was married to.

     Part of him wished Carol had remembered the future too, but most of him was glad that she hadn’t. The Carol that had died had lost hope in there being a future after the plague in the prison, Lizzie and her sister, and Beth’s death. This Carol had the chance to grow into the woman that they remembered and not have to experience those things if he could help it. As Daryl grunted his agreement to the plan Rick wondered if he should be worried that he had just planned a man’s death and all he felt was satisfaction.

     "I was planning on that asshole dying already Friendly, it’s nice ta know that we’re on the same page though considering yer a man of the law and all. Daryleena’s always been flexible, but from my experience ya had a doozy of a complex when it came ta rules. The years after I got myself killed must have been one hell of a shit storm if yer thinking like me." Merle pipped up, reminding the two men that he was there still. Rick raised an eyebrow at the gruff looking older man and Merle snorted, tossing a look at where Carol was sitting mending something and keeping her head down.

     "That old girl’s one hell of a spitfire, or she was when I last saw her. It aint right seeing her get beat down by that asshole. He’s lucky I aint killed him yet. Woman beating, Children beating? I saw enough of that crap when I was on the road on my own to last a lifetime.It aint gonna happen in this camp." Merle responded gruffly and Rick’s lip’s twitched, So the onrey bastard really did have a heart hidden somewhere.

       "She had a long road ta get ta being that spitfire, I hope ya know that. Ending Ed’s second life was just the start of her journey." Daryl grunted out, following his brother’s gaze with a tender look. Merle snorted.

       "I understand that Daryleena. That woman over there has been abused and beaten down fer years. After Ed had his accident or is bit and she beats the crap out of him ta end him, we’re just gonna have ta give her a reason to become that bad ass now won’t we. Buck up. She’ll become a right momma lion if we keep her little girl alive this time around and ya know it." Merle shot back with a lazy grin before motioning to Daryl’s kill, the deer was still hanging from a tree half butchered.

       "I’ll finish up with that so ya can put yer head together with yer boyfriend there and come up with a plan fer training these wimps up. Good luck with it, considering most of these people haven’t seen a fight yet." He announced walking away as he did. Daryl snorted under his breath as he watched his brother.

       "He never stops fucking surprising me Rick. But he’s right about these guys. We have a hell of a lot of work ta do with them before that herd come in. Our best bet is to try and have some of them in safe spots when it happens and focus on training up the ones who have some experience. The worst part of that plan is we can’t exactly post any of the ones we train as guards around the ones we don’t without giving them one hell of a reason. Somehow I don’t think that telling them we know an attack is coming will convince them." He murmured under his breath. Rick sighed, thinking back to that night that seemed like forever ago.

       "Amy was coming out of the RV because they were out of toilet paper when she got bit if I remember what Andrea told me back at the CDC when she was drunk correctly. If everything plays out the same we might be able to have Carl in the RV doing something and have him distract her when the fighting starts. Without her dying Andrea won’t take the trip to suicidal land and if things on the farm are the same she won’t encourage Beth’s little suicidal trip. Speaking of toilet paper I stocked up on that and a couple different female products so I should take some of it over to the RV since the girls tend to use the bathroom there." Rick proposed softly. His lover snorted, looking at him with amused blue eyes that were sparkling.

      "Look at you, all domesticated for the camps woman and all. Hell even our resident raider Glen still had trouble when the ladies needed him to pick up personal hygiene products for them. Yer gonna be their personal hero once they get wind of it." Daryl chortled. Rick blushed, ducking his head. When he was gathering supplies he hadn’t even thought twice about picking those things up because they used to be on most every list that was given to Glen or whoever was supply hunting.

      "Shut up Daryl. We’ll see what you automatically grab when you do a supply run and then we’ll see if ya can tease me." He muttered, making his way to the cruiser to get what he had mentioned. The cop tried to ignore the sound of his lover laughing behind him as he did. He grabbed a four pack of toilet paper and stuffed a couple boxes of tampons and pads into a bag before heading over the the RV. Amy was watching as Carl tossed a ball around, but she looked at him when he got close, her eyes widening at the visible toilet paper. She stood up as he got to her and reached for the supplies he held.

     "No way. You actually brought toilet paper with you? Glen hasn’t been able to find a lot of this stuff when he goes on runs lately, and it gets used pretty quick around here. Is there more in that bag?" She chirped, taking the package of toilet paper excitedly and reaching for the bag. Rick shifted, looking down.

     "It’s not toilet paper exactly, but it goes in the bathroom. It’s. Er It’s for the females in camp. When I was grabbing up supplies on my way here I grabbed up those too. Ya know, just in case wherever I ended up had a need for them and all." He muttered in a low voice, embarrassment clear in it. Amy’s eyes went wide as she took the bag and looked into it before she yelped and closed the bag again, blushing brightly.

     "Well we certainly have a need for that too, and asking Glen ta get them is embarrassing as heck so thank you. I um. I’ll just go and put these away now, before any of the guys see them and all." She whispered, dashing into the RV. Rick almost jumped as he heard his son start to snicker. When he turned Carl was watching him with a huge smile on his face. The preteen nodded to the RV where Amy had gone.

     "Did ya really just give her a bag full of that time of the month supplies dad?" He asked, already knowing the answer to his question. Rick gave a short nod and Carl laughed outright.

     "Daryl had better watch out for the ladies then. We all saw how popular Glen was even though those things embarrassed the hell out of him." the little punk whispered when he calmed his laugh to a giggle. Before Rick could respond Amy was coming out of the RV again. She paused for a second before hugging Rick and kissing his cheek, blushing bright red again as she pulled away and shifted back on her heels.

     "Yer a good man Rick Grimes. Don’t let yer ex-wife tell ya anything different, cause a bad guy? They wouldn’t have thought a thing about getting supplies for the opposite sex with intention of getting anything in return. We’re doubly lucky that ya the one that answered the call for help Glen and my sister sent out. Ya saved them and yer going to help keep us alive. I just know it." She got out, her voice a little squeaky before she turned to look at Carl, a more natural smile on her face.

     "Come on little guy. Let’s go see if we can kidnap Sophia and recruit the Moralas girls into playing a game. Yer daddy’s got some plans with my sister and some of the others." The pretty young woman asked. Carl shot Rick an exasperated look quickly, then covered it with a grin and nodded. Rick snickered under his breath. Acting his age was going to get old for his headstrong son quickly and the cop knew that.

     Hopefully he was able to work a way out to include Carl and Sophia in his training sessions soon. Well after the attack he could insist on training his child, and Carol might be talked into letting Sophia join in once ed was out of the picture. He started whistling just to annoy his son in retaliation for his earlier teasing Rick made his way back to the waiting hunter. He still had a long day ahead of him after all.

* * *

 

      T-Dog picked up the basics of hand to hand fairly quickly, which didn’t surprise either of the impromptu teachers considering the large man had been pretty decent with it before. Andrea also had some skills, but she had to work a little harder to keep up because she hadn’t been a fighter when the world was normal, besides recreational kick boxing- which helped her style but did nothing for her aim with a blunt object. So while Daryl kept working with the more advanced members of the five people who had volunteered for this lesson Rick worked with the lesser advanced ones- which ended up being most of the group to be honest. Andrea and T-Dog stayed with his lover, while he had Jacqui, Moralas and Glen.

       While five more fighters who could do reasonable hand to hand fighting was obviously good, every time Rick looked at Jacqui he remembered the day that she had committed suicide by the CDC. Even now he could see the desolation that had lead to her decision there in her eyes. He still did his best to train her, even when both Moralas and Glen joined Daryl’s group. It was Morgan that shut down the training session, some three hours after it began. The doctor did not look amused as he took in Rick’s sweating form.

     "I thought I told ya ta take it easy for a while longer Rick. Yer burning more calories than ya putting on at this rate. Enough’s enough fer today and I’m betting yer little solder’s agree with me on that. And you Biker, I thought we had an agreement that ya’d keep an eye on this stubborn ingrate." Morgan’s loud voice broke everyone’s concentration. Daryl snickered as Rick blushed brightly at being called out.

     "I am taking it easy Morgan. No need ta get yer panties in a twist. We needed ta get some of the basics down as soon as possible though." The cop replied, sounding a little annoyed. Morgan rolled his eyes.

     "And that needed you to happen why? Yer friend there’s pretty damn good, and I aint half bad at it myself given my history. Ya could have asked me ta help out with this little lesson." He replied. Rick paused. He hadn’t thought of that to be completely honest. He was still in the mindset of being his groups leader. When things needed to be done he was a part of organizing and enacting it every step of the way. And Daryl was the only other constant in that equation. Everyone else had died over the years. He needed to adjust his mindset obviously, because Morgan wasn’t the type to just sit back and enjoy the ride.

     "Yer Right. I need ta see just who here can help prepare the others instead of just assuming things and not asking fer help. We plan on having another lesson tommorrow, if our conditions are favorable here. I’d appreciate it if you’d be willing ta help. And yer right that I need a rest. If ya wouldn’t mind it could ya go around and see what everyone else here did before this happened? I know Merle’s one hell of a fighter, but someone had to finish dressing the deer since Daryl was helping me." The embarrassed cop murmured.

    Morgan grinned wildly, nudging Rick with his shoulder as he looked over the tired group that had been training. After a couple moments his eyes trailed to the other survivors. Shane was sitting in front of Lori’s tent, watching Rick intently but he didn’t make a move to get up and come over to talk with him.

     Not like the day before where he’d been waiting for Rick at every turn. Morgan wasn’t stupid, he’d heard the she-demon that his friend had been married to last night, and he’d seen Shane lead her away from Rick several times now. The other man was distracting the woman Rick had been married to and part of that being successful was staying away from the man he had a thing for. Morgan had to respect the man for doing what he was even though he knew the woman was off her rocker. Rick had really dodged a bullet in finding those papers. Other than that lone watcher there were a couple other lookie-loos, but most everyone else was going about their own business. He looked back at Rick and shrugged.

    "I don’t mind asking around about people’s histories, but as long as we're taling about yer leading abilities i'd like ta point ou that I was right. Yer already whipping this place inta shape and ya've been here a day, they're lucky as hell ta have ya. I have a feeling I should be running some basic first aid lessons myself  though so we can keep up with any injuries that may happen during training and asking people's histories will help me to see who will be best suited in learning. When ya say Merle’s one hell of a fighter what do ya mean? He seemed pretty damn crude when he spoke up for ya." He replied cheerfully. Rick looked over to where Merle was cleaning Daryl and his hunting gear.

     "Merle was military for a time before all of this. He did well, exceedingly so but he’s also got one hell of a temper on him and he punched a CO so he got himself a discharge. No matter what it seems like he’s a good man. Keep that in mind if he ever insults ya. He used to be a lot worse, but he seems to have finally gotten around ta getting a mental filter of his own since the last time I saw him." He replied under his breath, ignoring the leadership taunt Morgan threw out. Morgan chuckled, shaking his head before looking up when there was a high pitched cry. Rick felt his own eyes widen as he remembered the walker that the children had encountered before. That had happened today.

    The cop grabbed a spike from where his trainees had laid their makeshift weapons down and bolted, hearing Morgan close behind him and seeing Daryl and Merle following his lead. When he found Duane, Carl, Sophia and the two Morales kids they were by the river with Carl and Duane standing in front of the two girls and other boy. Carl had a rock in his hand and Rick cursed himself for not arming his son.

     "What happened?" Morgan demanded sounding worried as hell, reading their body language and knowing that there was a clear danger close by. Carl glanced at him, before looking at Rick and pointing with a shaking arm towards the woods. Merle cursed loudly and Rick felt more than a little confused. Before the walker had been munching on Daryl’s kill, but Daryl had gotten the deer this time, early in the day in fact.

     "There’s a walker over there. It was gnawing on a deer body, it didn’t even look up when Sophia screamed, but Duane and I got them out of there fast." Carl informed his father, his voice only cracking slightly. Merle cursed again and Rick looked at him finally. The older man looked guilty for some reason. Then it clicked in the cops head. Unless the walker brought down another deer in an area where the wildlife was getting scarce then the corpse had to have come from here in camp. The one Merle had worked on.

      "Merle, what happened to the carcass of the deer ya were cleaning up?" He asked, a bit of steel in his voice. Merle glared at him, then growled, drawing his machete and walking off without replying. Rick sighed, closing his eyes for a moment and following while Morgan stayed with the children, his gun drawn just in case there were more walkers. As he caught up with Daryl, who had followed his brother, he noticed that most of the others had reached the children and Morgan. Daryl was cursing under his breath.

     "Fucking hell Rick. I thought I took care of this by getting that damn deer before the sun was fully up. That idiot didn’t bury the damn carcass when he was done cleaning it and those kids could have gotten bit. There’s no way in hell it would have stayed gnawing on bones and whatever Merle didn’t cut off for long. Hell they’re lucky Sophia’s scream didn’t make it come after them. I’m going to kill that asshole." Daryl growled as they tramped into the forest. Rick reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing it.

     "Calm down Daryl. Merle wasn’t here in camp the last time, he didn’t know that a walker had gotten so close to camp today. He probably thought he had the time to take care of yer weapons before he buried it. From the way he reacted to what Carl said he’s kicking himself for this already." He whispered, trying to calm the other man down before they got to the older man. Daryl’s shoulder’s fell and he shook his head.

     "He still should known better Grimes. He aint new to hunting man. Ya always take care of the remains as soon as yer done getting what ya need from them." Daryl hissed. "That was our son with those children, our son who was unarmed and while he remembers how to fight he hasn’t been trained ta yet so he doesn’t have the muscle memory or coordination ta really defend himself. He had a damn rock to defend them with by that river. A damned rock Rick. I don’t care what kind of hissy fit Lori throws, he’s getting a weapon and training today." the hunter added, distress clear in his voice. Rick tugged him to a stop.

     "Carl’s a smart kid Daryl. He didn’t stick around the walker once they saw it and he got those other kids away from it. He wasn’t going to have to use that rock because once they saw it coming he would have gotten them to camp. We’ll use this ta make sure all the kids get training yeah?" He hummed, trying to ease Daryl’s mind. He understood where the hunter was coming from, they had just found out that Carl had died in the future last night and now they were faced with the fact that even though Daryl had tried to prevent this event it had still happened. Carl had still been faced with a walker that was eating Daryl’s kill unarmed.

      "Let’s just get ta Merle and that damn walker okay? I promise I aint gonna punch him or anything, but I aint happy with him either." The other man murmured, dragging a hand through his hair and tugging on it. Rick sighed before nodding and moving forward with his lover. When they got to Merle the older man was sitting under a tree, the walker already dead by the remains of a deer. Merle was looking at the corpses helplessly. It took a couple moments for him to realize that they were there, but when he looked up there was guilt written clearly over his face. That was a new expression for Rick to see on the other man.

     "I coulda gotten those kids killed by being a lazy fuck. We haven’t seen any walkers this far out yet damn it. I thought what the hell, if I take it far enough outta camp I have time to take a break, clean the weapons, then come back an take core of the remains. Easy as fucking pie. Except this damn thing came out and those kids stumbled onto them both. If they hadn’t run. Fuck Daryl, I saw how ya was with Grimes boy yesterday. If ya both here ta kick my ass fer being an idiot then get it over with. I almost got yer boy killed today." Merle muttered, his eyes hardening as he spoke and his posture stiffening like he was getting ready for a blow. Rick stared at him wide eyed as Daryl scoffed, sitting next to his brother.

     "We aint gonna do anything like that Merle. Those kids had Carl with them, and Carl has a good head on his shoulders this time around. He got them away from here instead of the lot of them huddling in a a bush and screaming their heads off like last time." The hunter said gruffly. Merle looked at him sharply as he spoke, his eyes narrowing suspiciously on his brother as the words clicked.

     "This shit happened the last time too? And why the hell would having the Grimes boy with them change the brat’s behavior?" Merle demanded, his voice rough. Rick shifted where he stood, he hadn’t known Carl remembered when he’s spoken to to the older man the day before, so Merle wouldn’t know.

     "Our son remembers too. It’s what’s been causing his night terrors and why the children were by the river instead of here with the walker and it’s chew toy." The cop responded, before Daryl could. Merle’s lips twisted into a sort of grin and he leaned back against the tree and he shook his head.

     "Hell. That’s a stroke of luck considering Lori aint gonna be too happy when ya decide to train him up. Now what was this about this happening last time?" He replied, a wry note in his voice as he looked at his brother. Daryl scowled at him, looking over at the mutilated deer remains and the walker that had been gnawing in it’s bones and the bits of meat left on it. The hunter looked back at his brother sharply.

     "It sure as hell didn’t happen like this. I’d been out hunting when ya went into Atlanta with tha group, ya know that. I was tracking this fucker after I’d shot it so it took longer ta get it. A walker got to it before I did, and then the kids found tha two of them. When I got to them the group hadn’t smashed the head in yet, idiots. I snagged the deer early today cause we need the meat and I was hoping not ta repeat this experience." He explained plainly, with a hint of resentment in his voice. Merle snorted his head thumping back into the tree hard.

    "Fucking hell Daryl. The thing would have wandered inta camp without something ta munch on, then where would we be? And ya know as well as I do that where there’s one of them there’s more following. The food supply is ran dry over in Atlanta. So there’s bound ta be more looking for something ta eat." He scolded, sounding exhausted. Rick and Daryl shared a look. Neither of them had thought to inform the other man of what might happen tonight if history repeated itself. Sure they had mentioned a hoard blowing through and Rick had planned Ed’s death if he didn’t get bit and Merle had agreed, but they hadn’t mentioned a time line had they?

     "That hoard Rick mentioned might blow through camp earlier? When we got back from Atlanta after trying ta get ya off that damned roof it was attacking camp. We lost a coupla people and decided ta move on after we fought them off." The Hunter informed his brother. Merle closed his eyes tightly rubbing his forehead. Rick sighed and eased himself down next to Daryl, waiting for Merle to respond. It took a couple of moments, but then the other man’s hand came down from his head and he looked at both of them hard.

     "When the hell were the two of ya going ta tell me that we might be facing a hoard of these fuckers tonight? It woulda been great ta know about earlier, so I coulda actually fucking prepared for a fight. Shit now I know why tha two of you were training the lot of them. Well let’s get our asses back ta camp, we’re running out of daylight and there’s shit ta do." He spat at them, sounding angry as hell. Daryl sighed, getting up and reaching his hand out to help his brother up Merle batted it away with a glare as Rick stood.

    "I’m pissed as hell with tha both of ya right now. That hoard coming affects me too. What if I was out there taking a piss and one took a bite outta me cause I didn’t know ta expect it?" Merle hissed, getting up himself. Daryl flinched at that and Rick resisted the urge to hug him. Daryl wouldn’t take comfort right now, and Merle was right to be angry with them. He was the only other adult that remembered the future in their group, but he didn’t know what had happened to them before they met up again in Woodbury and they needed to remember that. Merle needed to be kept informed of those events for him to be able to help.

     "We should have mentioned it, I’m sorry that we didn’t. The attack didn’t happen till nightfall before so we still have time ta prepare more. After tonight we’ll get together and fill you in on anything else that might happen so ya don’t get surprised like this again." Rick said after a couple moments, the apology clear in his voice as he spoke. Merle tilted his head as he looked at him, before grunting and walking back towards camp without another word. Daryl watched him walk off and then sighed.

      "It’s fucking hard to be angry at him when we were the dumb asses who hadn’t given him all the information he should known. Fuck Rick, this coulda been prevented if I had told him about what happened the first time around, but I didn’t think about it. Hell I thought I had it handled, and it woulda been if I had kept on cleaning the deer and told him ta do the training." Daryl muttered. Rick didn’t resist the urge to hug him this time. If he was learning one thing, it was that they needed to rely on the others more. They wern’t in this situation alone anymore- not like they had been when they had finally died, or when everyone was depending on them to know everything. They had plenty of help out here they just needed to use it.

     "Morgan gave me a lecture for not asking him to do the training too. He’s going to be seeing just what everyone did before because he wants to start teaching some basic first aid ta whoever he can. We gotta remember we have some pretty strong support here between Merle and Morgan alone and that they can only help if we let um." He murmured. Daryl snorted, hugging him back and rubbing his face into his neck.

    "We’re two stubborn asses used ta handling things our way Rick. I have a feeling we’re gonna have ta start getting used to those kinda talks." The hunter whispered, before pressing a small kiss to his neck and pulling away. He motioned to the camp with a wry grin. "I think we should head back ourselves and check in on Carl. I know he’s done this before but he looked a little shaken up." He added. Rick nodded, tangling his fingers with Daryl’s again. He honestly couldn’t get enough of touching him still, and he didn’t think he ever would. Daryl smiled that half smile before tugging Rick back towards camp.


	11. Aftermath and Confrontations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All Right, All Right... I know that this Chapter is long Overdue. I hit a writer's block so I've been taking care of some of my other stories while this plunnie was being help hostage. It was safely returned, and here's the new chapter :P. Read and Enjoy Loves!
> 
> *Edited at 4:30 pm 2/2/15 due to errors spotted*

          After the walker incident the camp had a general feeling of unease about it. The children stayed close to their parents, as if a walker would come out and grab them, and the adult’s were not acting much better. Lori had come out of her tent of her own volition and was watching Carl closely as she did laundry with the other woman. She hadn’t said anything rude, or disparaging in over an hour, even as Rick and Daryl organized the group that they had been training and Shane did a perimeter sweep in an attempt to make sure that there were no other walkers nearby. Amy looked guilty as hell as she sat with Dale though.

         She’d been playing hide and seek with the children when they had found the walker earlier that day, and it been her turn to be the one who was counting to a hundred so she hadn’t seen it happen and hadn’t been able to help them at all. Rick had told her that everything was alright, but she still almost broke into tears every time she caught sight of one of the kids or their parents, which is why she was with Dale. The older man was trying to calm her down, but it wasn’t helping much to tell the truth.

        Merle was the one who broke the somber mood, clapping his hands as he walked over to an area close to where Rick and his brother were instructing some of the other survivors on how to kill walkers with instruments other than the firearms they had in camp. Everyone looked at the older Dixon brother when he did so and the normally standoffish man smirked at them before motioning to the children.

       “Listen up. Those kid were lucky today, damn lucky. Grimes’ boy had the sense ta actually get them away from the danger, but that aint always gonna be an option, ya’ll understand. And it’s fine and dandy the so called grown ups of this place are finally getting inta the game and learning some self defense but these kids need ta do tha same. I don’t give a damn if the parents want them ta learn or not they’re gonna learn. Now git over here ya ankle munchers.” He announced. Lori was the first parent to speak up, of course.

    “You aint teaching my son anything Dixon.” She hissed, her docile moment over apparently. Merle snorted, but it was Rick who spoke next, after he excused himself from the lesson he’d been helping with.

    “It’s either Merle, Daryl, Shane or Me doing it Lori, but he’s gonna learn how to defend himself. I aint letting what happened today happen again without him knowing what to do in case he can’t run. All of those kids are learning.” He told her, looking her straight in the eyes. She huffed, and looked around to the other parents for support after a couple of moments. When she noticed that all the children, minus Sophia, were already heading over to Merle she huffed and glared at Rick. But Rick didn’t notice as he was heading over to Ed and Carol’s area already. He wasn’t going to leave Sophia out of this lesson.

      That little girl needed the training more than the others in his mind at the moment. She was the one that he had lost to walkers when she had been cornered. Sophia needed the self confidence she would get from the lessons, and she needed to know she could defend herself from anything. With her father being the asshole that he was Rick prepared himself for a fight though. Ed was already glaring at him and he didn’t look like he was going to give into the training order. Rick was fed up with the asshole, because even with the second round of the adults training he had refused to do a damn thing.

      “Come on little miss, when I say all the little ones are learning that means you too.” Rick told the skittish little girl softly. She looked at him with wide eyes, then looked at her father who was turning red. Carol was holding herself tense behind her daughter and Rick couldn’t wait for Ed to be gone. Not with how his friend and her little girl were acting. He’d forgotten over the years just how battered Carol had been, but it was all too apparent now- looking at her while she was still stuck in that hell.

       “She aint going anywhere. The little bitch wasn’t even supposed ta be out there with yer boy and that little minority group he’s running around with. She don’t need no lessons. Mind yer own damn business ya stinking fag.” Ed spat at him, spittle flying through the air as Rick stared at him unimpressed. He might have only been in this camp one day but things like this were were long over due for change.

        “Sophia, sweetie? Can ya head over to the others for me so Merle can start his lesson? Your pa and I need ta have a little talk.” The cop asked the scared child in a soothing tone, keeping an eye on her father. She gave the man one more scared look, before Carol patted her shoulder and motioned for her to go. When Ed looked like he was going to grab the child as he ran past him Rick stepped forward and he stopped.

      “Ya aint got no right ta tell my girl ta go to that asshole’s lessons fucker.” Ed growled at him as soon as Sophia made it to the others. Again Rick ignored him, instead he looked at Carol, getting her away from Ed was his next priority since he didn’t want to chance the man taking his frustrations with Rick out of her as soon as he walked away. Immediately he thought of the group that Daryl was leading still, kick starting Carol’s training wouldn’t hurt a thing and Daryl wouldn’t let her get hurt. Even if he had to keep her from going to her husband when the asshole hollerd for her when Rick was done with him.

       “Ms. Carol? Daryl’d like to run over some hand ta hand stuff with ya, just so yer prepared if ya ever need it ta protect yerself or that little girl.” He informed her softly. She shot her husband a scared look, before straightening up and nodding- showing Rick a sliver of the woman he had known and depended on for so long. She started to go over to the Hunter, but Ed didn’t resist grabbing her arm like he had with Sophia. Rick grit his teeth as his hand shot forward, grasping the other man’s writs tightly.

      “What the fuck? Let go of me ya damned pillow biter. If I don’t want my wife going any where near that nancy boy of yers then by god she aint going.” Ed snarled at him as Rick dug his fingers into the joint of the man’s wrist, warning him that if he dared to tighten his hold on the woman there would be trouble to pay. Carol didn’t make a single noise through all of this though and that felt like a knife to Rick’s gut.

     “I don’t know what the hell you’ve been able ta get away with involving the way you treat this lady and her little girl, but it aint going ta keep happening. Now you’re going to let Carol here go so she can get about ta doing what she wants ta and ya aint gonna try a thing again or I will put you down here and now and not one person will ask me why. Not when it’s clear yer a woman beater.” Rick replied with a snarl, speaking under his breath as to not alert everyone that he was threatening the other man’s life. Ed stiffened and Rick felt his fingers relax ever so slightly through the grip he had on the man’s wrist.

     “Are you really threatening ta kill me ya asshole? Over this cunt?” Ed squeaked, sounding incredelous. It was like he couldn’t believe that anyone would think that Carol was worth making a threat like that. Rick tightened his grip, hoping to god that Ed was the chickenshit he thought he was. Over his years he’d seen men like the piece of shit he was holding onto- both on the job and while they were surviving. They had no problem knocking around woman and children behind closed doors or in front people who didn’t say a thing about it, but once someone confronted them, they folded. Ed snorted, and then he let go of Carol.

     “That’s more like it. Carol why don’t you head over to Daryl over there, he’ll probably want ya to see Morgan to get that arm looked at before ya get started on the lessons though.” Rick said in an even voice, not letting go of the man’s wrist as he nodded to her. She nodded her head, rubbing her arm and he could already see red marks that would darken into bruises. And No matter what anyone said Rick had caused those by provoking Ed. His grip tightened without him meaning to, but Ed couldn’t die quick enough.

      “Is everything alright over here?” Shane’s voice broke through the red that was taking over Rick’s rational mind. The other cop had a hand on his gun, and was watching Ed closely in case he made any move to go after Rick. Carol looked at him before heading over to Daryl and leaving the three men.

      “I’m just having a chat with Ed here Shane. He was a little reluctant to let the ladies join in on the defense lessons. I think I’ve set him straight for the moment though.” Rick replied, his voice still eerily calm. Ed jerked his hand, trying to get Rick to let him go as he swung to look at Shane. Rick tried not to tense, knowing that Shane had been the one these people had been looking to. And by defualt he had let the abuse that this man had been dealing to his family continue by not stepping in. Ed might think he had an ally in his partner because of that, even if Rick trusted Shane to have his back.

     “Your woman’s fairy husband just threatened to kill me Shane. What the hell are you going ta do about that?” He demanded, puffing up once again and acting like an idiot. Rick tried not to smirk as he saw Ed rub at the wrist he had grabbed though. He hoped he had damaged something that would make the bastard think twice about raising that hand towards Carol or Sophia any time soon. The amount of anger that Rick held for this man was scaring him. For once he was hoping for a herd of Walkers to show, and that was ridiculous. Shane shifted on his feet, glaring at Ed and the wife beater seemed to deflate.

     “I aint going ta do a damn thing except help him if he needs it Peletier. I made a damn mistake in not sticking up for Carol and Sophia when i first met yer dumb ass, but you aint hurting them again. I’d keep that in mind if I were you, cause it won’t just be Rick and I after yer ass if you decide to chance it. There’s more than a couple guys here that don’t appreciate a wife and child abuser.” Shane told the paling man with a sneer. Ed looked between him and Rick before spitting on the ground at Rick’s feet and storming off towards the road into camp. Rick listened to him cursing under his breath and watched him kick stones like a five year old that hadn’t gotten his way. Once he was out of sight, and away from his wife and child, Rick turned to Shane and grinned at him. It felt nice having not to worry that the other man was just waiting for the right moment to stab him in the back. He only hoped that he could keep this Shane sane.

       “Thanks for that. I noticed the bruising on Carol and Sophia’s skittishness and it brought back memories of the domestics we used to get. This world’s screwed up enough without having to deal with people like that. We need to make sure that those girls aren’t alone with him again, cause even with the warning he’s not going to stop. He’s gotten away with it for this long after all.” Rick murmured, then winced as he realized that had come out wrong. Shane could take what he just said as a criticism and the returned cop didn’t know how his partner would handle something like that right now. Shane grimaced.

      “I should have put a stop to it the moment I had a suspicion, but I didn’t. At first there was just too much going on, and then. Fuck Rick. I looked the other way because it was easier then standing up to him, so I should be thanking you for stepping up. There’s no way in hell he would have taken me seriously if I had been the one to step in since I had let it go on so long without saying a damn thing about it.” The darker haired man replied, shaking his head, and running a hand through his hair. Rick grinned inwardly at the fact that Shane had taken the unintended critique in stride. He had to stop thinking about the other Shane when he was anticipating how this one would react. He’d already proven that he wasn’t off his rocker yet.

     “Don’t sweat it brother. Ya did well in keeping these guys together and alive and that was a tall order considering everything that’s happened and all.” Rick hummed, trying to ease any guilt Shane might be feeling. The other man snorted, looking in the direction Ed had stormed off in.

     “I coulda done more ta keep Carol and her girl safe from him Rick and ya know it. We’ll need to convince her to stay away from him, but I’m sure we can get together a tent for the two of them so their out of Peletier’s little camp. If you, Morgan and Daryl don’t mind I think we should set her up in your area. That way if our friend decided to try to come after them in the night Carol has three guys within earshot.” He said suddenly, looking at Rick for approval of his plan. Rick did grin this time, instead of the sudden shift of people looking to Rick for the answers he was more than okay with sharing the reigns.

     “That sounds like a good Idea. I take it Lori’s asked you to stay around for her?” The cop replied, switching the conversation from Carol to what was going on in his friend’s life at the moment. Shane grimaced, his hand clenching at his side for a second. Then he took a breath and sighed.

     “I can’t have Lori tearing into you at every turn Rick. Not when yer finally making a choice for yourself, doing something that will make you happy. If Dixon’s half as good for ya as I think he’ll be then it’s worth being her shoulder to cry on. But I made it clear to her last night that’s all it’s gonna be. I think I explained it as being too weird being in a relationship with her after everything that happened. And she agreed surprisingly enough. Well it really isn’t that surprising considering she still blames me fer you deciding the marriage was over. But she needs someone ta ‘see her side’ and I’m willing ta do that if it means you get ta be happy.” He replied under his voice. Rick nodded, his eyes a little wider than normal as he listened to Shane speak. Damn it to hell, he could hear how much his ex still cared for him.

      Shane wasn’t playing around when he said that he wouldn’t be able to walk away this time, the time traveling leader realized unexpectedly, like a punch in the gut from a weight lifting midget. And his partner was willing to do anything to see him happy, even play the shoulder to cry of to his ex if it meant keeping her from stopping him from being happy. Damn, he’d never done anything to deserve that kind of behavior. Or at least he didn’t think he had. He reached over and grabbed Shane’s shoulder.

      “I can deal with anything that Lori throws at me Shane. If it get’s too much, back out I don’t want ya hurting yerself trying ta protect me. Ya don’t owe me a single thing Brother.” Rick murmered in a husky voice. Shane chuckled and shook his head while giving him a bright smile. The other cop reached up and squeezed his hand before stepping away and looking to where Lori was sitting and watching them.

     “I got this man, knowing that yer here and alive. That’s everything I need ta let anything she can do just roll off. Ya can’t imagine what it was like thinking that you were dead. One moment you were right there joking after catching a shot in the vest and then ya were down and bleeding everywhere and I had so many regrets that I wanted to fix. Only you wouldn’t wake up and the world ended and I couldn’t get ya out. I thought I left ya to die. So I did some stupid shit, but I can use that stupid shit ta my advantage now.” He said cheerfully, before heading over to Rick’s ex-wife, a bounce in his step. Rick shook his head before heading back over to the Dixon brothers and thier classes. This was turning into one hell of a day.

* * *

  
      The first sign that Rick noticed that indicated things might still be going to happen like they had before was when Jim was found digging the graves. Because most of the camp’s members were training this happened later in the of course, and the poor man was passed out in front of a grave with heatstroke when Dale came across him. He didn’t look too good, and Rick shivered as he looked over the graves. They wouldn’t be using as many of them as before, but having this repeat sent a shiver of dread down his spine. Daryl gave him a nod as he carried the poor man into the RV, indicating he’d stay with Jim in case the man died from the heatstroke and he’d take care of him if that happened.

       It had been a close call before, and Jim had ended up dying after he got bit because he’d been secured away from the main part of the camp due to his delusional ranting. While Rick would like to see him make it this time, he knew some things were just not possible. And with the blistering skin Rick had seen Jim was half way into the grave, but his death would provide the group with the knowledge that the virus was already in them if anything since they had already checked to see if he’d been bit when they found him.

     Rick turned away from the graves when there was a shout, one hand grabbing his gun and the other grabbing the Machete he had rigged to his belt automatically as he looked for it’s source. Damn it, this was not when the heard had come through last time, so what was going on here? There was a scream this time and Rick took off running in it’s direction, Morgan, Merle, and Shane not far behind him. The time it took to find the source of the screams seemed like an eternity. But when he found it he felt sick.

     Jacqui was down on the ground and crawling backward as she tried to get away from a crawler. He shot forward and stabbed it, looking around for any others as quickly as he could. He could hear the African American woman sobbing, but nothing else. Then he spotted Ed, leaning against a tree while holding his arm. He was bleeding. A part of Rick felt victorious- the asshole was going to die. Then he remembered Jacqui, the woman who had committed suicide by CDC the last time around. As Shane stomped over and started demanding answers from Ed he turned to look at the woman who hadn’t moved from her spot. She was clutching her ankle, and it was bleeding. Damn it. He tore his eyes from her and looked at Merle hard.

     “Get the ones that can’t fight well together in one place, and have the ones who can fight guarding them. This is the second one of these things today and I have a bad feeling that there's gonna be more coming soon.” He ordered, giving the other man a pointed look, before looking at Morgan and motioning to the woman on the ground. God, he had hoped by skipping the CDC she would survive longer. She was a good woman, who had just been tired of surviving and now she didn’t have a choice if she was going to live or not. Not if that wound was a bite because he had taken too long to get to her and he hadn’t cut her leg off like they did with Hershal. The Doctor knelt down next to him, a tight look on his face.

     “Hey there, Jacqui was it? I need to see what’s going on with that ankle of yours. Can I have a look?” The other man asked gently, trying to calm her down. Rick watched him, feeling on edge. If that crawler was with the herd that had come through here last time they didn’t have much time. Jacqui sobbed harder, her hands clenching over her bleeding ankle when Morgan went to move them. Rick looked up as Shane cursed, and had a feeling that the wound that Jacqui was hiding was the least of his problems.

     “We have a problem Rick, get yer ass over here!” Shane called out loudly, and Rick gave Morgan a nod before getting up and jogging over. Shane was glaring at Ed, looking ready to end him right then and there. Tick didn’t know how he was going to engineer Carol destroying the asshole’s unlife at this rate.

       “What’s going on Shane?” He asked, and even he could hear the edge in his voice as he spoke. Shane glared at Ed a little harder, before looking at Rick and the other man stiffened at the fear he could see.

      “When this asshole stormed off he stumbled into what he describes as a big group of walkers. They’re not far behind him from what he said Rick and he led them right back here. Jacqui knocked the one you killed off of him when she heard him hollering for help.” Shane hissed out. Rick looked over to Morgan and nodded to him. The Doctor picked up the hysterical woman and started towards camp. When he turned back to the two men Ed flinched, clutching his arm to his body.

     “We need to get back to the others.” The cop informed his partner. Shane nodded, looking at Ed.

     “What about him? He’s bit man, I confirmed that much before he yanked his arm back from me.” Shane growled. Rick looked at him, debating on the importance of Carol ending Ed. That had been her carthetic release. Damn it, he was going to regret this, he just knew it.

      “He’s still alive. We don’t kill the living Shane, not unless we have to in order to protect our own.” Rick finally replied, a hard note in his voice. Shane gave a frustrated noise before grabbing Ed’s arm and dragging him to camp and leaving Rick to follow with dark thoughts racing through his mind. They had one member bit, one potentially bit and one who might be dying from sunstroke. That was three lost members and the herd hadn’t even hit the camp yet. The cop started jogging, wondering what the hell was going to happen now and if he’d even be able to change a damn thing this time around. He wasn’t doing too well so far after all. The sun was starting to fall, and they had a damn herd on the way.

* * *

  
     “Secure him to a tree over there and then get ta the others.” Rick ordered Shane as they entered the camp, motioning in the direction that Jim was tied up in the last time around. Shane froze, before looking at him and shaking his head as he started smiling. Ed was protesting, trying to break away but Shane wasn’t phased by his struggles at all. Ed really wasn't anything to worry about if you had the advantage and with him whining like a child over the gash missing out of his Arm Shane had it

     “You’re evil man Grimes.” The other cop murmured, an approving note in his voice. Rick rolled his eyes.

     “I don’t know what you mean Shane, he’s bit and that means he’s gonna turn right? I don’t want him loose when that happens and we don’t have time ta keep track of the bastard with those walkers coming in now do we? So tie him up. We don’t have the time to mess around with him.” He replied, trying to brush it off. He didn’t know what the reason Shane was assuming that he was having him tie Ed up was, and he was pretty sure that he didn’t want to know. Not when his reason was that he wanted Carol to beat the man’s head in after all. He should feel sick about planning this shouldn’t he?

     “Sure you don’t man. Sure you don’t. He deserves it though.” Shane replied with a smirk, before motioning to Martinez to being over some rope and dragging Ed towards the trees. Rick watched them for a second, before shaking his head. He needed to make sure all of his people that couldn’t fight were secured and then he needed to get ready to take care of this herd. He found Morgan tying an unconscious Jacqui up.

     “She passed out, and I can’t tell if the wound on her ankle is a bite or of she cut it on something. Until we have a chance to find out I’m not taking a chance. Not with that problem yer stalker was hollering about coming in. Duane’s with the kids, the young blonde, her sister, that bastards wife and yer Biker’s brother so I’ll keep an eye on her during this mess. Yer ex-missus is over with the Moralas family and Dale’s bringing them over to the kids.” He reported. Rick gave a sigh of relief, and was even more grateful he had Morgan here. The man was honestly a godsend because he didn’t have to go running about looking for people now.

     “Watch yourself Morgan. I’ll keep an eye open for ya, but all we got out of Peletier was its a big group of walkers. He did tell us she pulled that walker offa him. I’m hoping she caught something sharp and it didn’t get her. She’s one of the one’s I got outta that store in Atlanta.” He replied. Morgan sighed.

    “She shouldn’t have bothered trying to save that bastard. I looked over his wife and girl. They’re covered in bruises Rick. If she’s bit them we lost a good woman because an abuser was an idiot.” He spat out, one hand on his hand gun. Rick grimaced at the truth in that sentence. Ed Peletier wasn’t worth anyone’s life plain and simple, but if Jacqui died then he was taking one final victim with him.

     “We got Walkers!” Merle’s voice cut through the dusk, drawing both men from their respective thoughts. Rick shared a look with Morgan, before getting his ass in gear and heading over to incoming walkers. There had already been enough losses today, they didn’t need anymore.


	12. Surviving the Night: Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are with another update. I think i'll try to settle into an every couple days habit when it comes to posting these. Since I'm writing these chapters from scratch now it takes time to get them written and then edited. Once a day postings unfortunately is a thing of the past for now unless I have a major burst that leaves me with some overage. But since I'm also writing and updating Falling Back One Life too that doesn't seem like a thing that will happen often.
> 
> Enough babbling though- the lot of you didn't click to read me talking about updates and those boring things, I'll leave you to read. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!
> 
> *Side Note: This chapter quickly became a monster to write. There was just so much I wanted to go into -.-

         The last walker was finished with a sickening slurping sound as Rick plunged a hunting knife into it’s eye. He grimaced as he yanked the knife out, another slick slurp greeting his ears as he automatically wiped the blade clean on the torn clothing the corpse was wearing. He was damn tired, and he really shouldn’t have jumped into the middle of all this because Daryl was going to kill him for this. His hunter had already told him that he wouldn’t be fighting and while Shane may have assumed that the other man had meant theoretical fights Rick knew differently. Daryl had been talking about this one.

        "Is everyone alright?" He asked, looking over to the mass of people not to far from him. The children were in the middle, then came their parents and Amy with the group of people he and Daryl had trained surrounding them. Merle snorted, coming over and looking Rick over closely.

        "We’re just dandy Officer Friendly. Now what about yer stubborn ass? I saw more than a coupla close calls out there and let me tell you Darylenna will not be happy about that at all. And that’s not even considering if ya managed ta get yer fool self hurt during this mess." Merle muttered, sounding irate himself even though he was talking about how his brother was going to react. Rick groaned.

        "I’m just fine Merle, a little winded but fine. I may not be at the top of my game but I can handle a few walkers just fine. I saw more than this on the road with Morgan." He tried assuring him, he didn’t need to have the older Dixon getting on his case too. Daryl, Morgan and Shane were going to be more than enough when it came to the mother-hen department. Merle snorted, shaking his head sharply.

         "Not at the top of yer game huh? That’s the understatement of the fucking century Grimes. I’ve had to listen to my baby brother ranting about the fact ya were in a coma and shit don’t miraculously heal itself because the world ended. Don’t expect him ta leave yer side without a damn fight after this, he wouldn’t have tonight if it wasn’t for the gravedigger and we both know it. Fact is ya jumped inta this mess head first and I saw a couple close calls that we don’t need. These people are already following your lead- it was your order to train them, yer order to get them inta that huddle over there ta keep the little ones safe. Shane couldn’t have done that, he’s already proven that, and neither could Daryl or I cause there’s no way they’ll listen ta us without you backing it. If ya get yer damn idiot self killed then we’re all screwed." Merle growled under his breath, obviously angry now. Rick winced, but before he could respond to that, and assure the other man that yes the camp would listen to him and his brother if need be, there was a tap on his shoulder. Because Rick knew that the huddle was only now dispersing to make sure all the walkers were down for the count, with Shane leading them, he also knew that the tap came from either Morgan or Daryl.

         "We need to talk Grimes." Morgan’s voice cut through his shock. Rick grimaced before turning, a nonchalant look coming over his face to try and hide the dread that he was feeling at the lecture he was facing from the other man. Morgan raised an eyebrow as he looked him over. The cop shifted.

         "Shouldn’t you be checking over everyone to make sure there’s no injuries besides what we went into this mess with?" Rick asked lightly, hoping to distract the doctor by throwing the others under the bus. At least until he spoke with Daryl that is, because he knew that his lover would drag him to see Morgan. He’d rather not have to go through the Doctor’s examinations and lectures twice in one night thank you very much. Morgan laughed, but it was as sharp as his voice had been and not at all amused with his words.

        "I’ll get to them after I make sure that you are alright Grimes. I know my boy was safe as a house during the attack, but like your fool self tends to ya threw yerself into the fight without a damn care to the orders I gave ya. There is a reason I told you to take it easy, but all day you’ve been training and getting inta fights and now this. So until I’m sure that the trouble maker I took in didn’t manage ta get himself bit I aint going to deal with the people we just met." He shot back, a stubborn note in his voice telling the cop that he really wasn’t going anywhere. Rick sighed, before holding his arms out, better let him do his thing.

        "Have a look them Morgan. I didn’t get myself bit, I promise." He verbally agreed to the order. Morgan snorted, but started running his hands over Rick, poking and prodding, After a couple moments he grunted, before stepping back and shaking his head. He looked a little amused now.

         "It seems that you were telling me the truth Grimes. I can’t tell for sure just how many new bruises ya got yerself during your battle, but there are no bites. One of these days that damned cat luck of yours is going to run out though. Keep that in mind before ya go rushing off to fight half dead." He scolded with a smirk. Rick’s eyes narrowed on him at the half dead comment. He was in no way half dead!

         "I think you’re exaggerating on my condition Morgan. If I was half dead I wouldn’t be up and moving about now would I? So if you wouldn’t mind, I would like it if you didn’t keep riling up Daryl or any of the others with talk like that. We don’t have many able fighters at the moment so every body working to keep us alive counts- even if that particular body isn’t 100 percent well." Rick grumbled back, letting his friend know just how annoyed he was with the way he approached addressing Rick’s health. Morgan grumbled.

        "If the world wasn’t like this you would still be on bed rest damn it Rick. I can’t switch the medical professional side of me that screams you shouldn’t be up out of bed off. And I can see I was right in these people looking to you for direction, but it doesn’t mean I have to like you diving in head first like this. So if I want to grumble and remind people that they can’t expect you to be superman then I will. And you’re just gonna deal with it because you’re the one that dragged me here." He muttered under his breath, a dark note in his voice. Again before Rick could respond someone else joined the little pow-wow that was happening.

       "Did the idiot here manage ta get himself hurt in that mess or something Doc?" Daryl demanded in a low voice that wasn’t meant to be heard by the dispersing group, ignoring Rick and looking to Morgan for his answer. Morgan’s lips curled into a grin as he looked over to the Shaggy haired man. He shook his head, looking at Daryl indulgently. Somehow Rick could imagine Morgan in a hospital setting, looking at a child that was asking about one of his parents that had just been seen in the same way.

        "There’s no need to worry about this trouble maker, his luck kept him uninjured Biker boy. Rick’s just whining because he don’t like me reminding him, or other people that he still has healing ta do, but someone has ta do it." He explained, sounding more sarcastic and amused than anything else as he assured the other man of Rick’s health. The Doctor’s dark eyes had a knowing glint in them as they moved from the Hunter and back to his troublesome friend. Daryl snorted softly, looking over Rick with a fond expression in his eyes.

      "You keep on reminding him all ya want ta Doc. He tends to get a big head sometimes and it’ll do him some good ta be reminded that he needs ta take care of himself while he’s looking after this bunch. I’d like ta keep him around for a while after all." Daryl told the other man wryly, ignoring his brother as he grabbed Rick’s arm and started leading him towards the RV. The cop sighed, following him willingly.

       "We’ll just make sure everyone’s alright while you check on yer boy Darayleena! Take yer time!" Merle’s voice shouted behind them just as Daryl opened the RV. An odd mix of a grimace and a grin passed over the hunter’s face as he turned and looked at his brother. The older Dixon was sniggering and turning already so Daryl just sighed before looking at Rick and pushing him into the RV. The cop found himself on his back on the RV’s couch with Daryl on top of him seconds after the door closed. He groaned at the feeling.

       "I said you weren’t ta fight anytime soon darling, and what do ya fucking do the moment I have to watch and see if one of the stray ducklings in our family is gonna turn walker? Ya fucking throw yerself into a herd without me. Ya can’t do that shit to me Grimes." Daryl growled in a low voice. That in combination with the feeling of Daryl’s body covering his made Rick’s head spin and certain parts of his body harden. He felt a similar response in the man who was now smirking at him and glared.

       "I didn’t have much of a choice in the matter Daryl. Peletier got himself and maybe Jacqui bit and I barely had enough time ta make sure that our ducklings got in position before they came." He groaned, biting his lip when Daryl rocked his hips down. At any second that door could open up and anyone in this camp could come in and see this, but Rick couldn’t find it in himself to care. He leaned up and kissed the man on top of his hard, his hands going to the hunters hips and steadying him as he thrust up.

      "Fucking hell Rick, we can’t get too inta this right now." Daryl hissed, his breath hot on his cop’s lips as he pulled away from the kiss and thread one hand through the other man’s hair, his fingers tangling in the dark curls. He tugged on the hair in his hand a little when Rick’s eyes didn’t focus on him immediately.

      "Come on on darling, a quick make out is all we’re going ta get right now. Don’t ya dare go all gooey on me. Gotta be at the top of yer game when I get done ‘checking’ ya over and you have ta go play daddy to our family." he tried telling him again after those blue eyes connected with his. Rick groaned, moving one hand up to Daryl’s head and drawing him into another kiss, thrusting his tongue into his mouth, he wanted more than a quick make out while in an after battle high right now and he was going to get it.

       That was all it took to break whatever resolve that the other man had in not taking this further. Daryl growled into the kiss, thrusting his own tongue into Rick’s mouth, taking over the kiss as he ground down into Rick. For an undetermined amount of time the only thing that existed was Rick, Daryl and the heat building in them as they moved together in a way that they hadn’t been able to in far to long. As his orgasm crept closer and closer Rick made sure to keep his mouth occupied by kissing Daryl’s mouth or neck to keep himself quiet, lest the moment be interrupted by an over curious member of their camp looking to investigate. He wouldn't be able to stand it if he had to walk away with another fucking hard on.

       If he remembered one thing the most from the prison- the one place where they had been most active, it was the complaints his makeshift family had about the amount of noise he made while he was in the middle of enjoying Daryl’s 'attentions'. And god knows that he enjoyed every single bit of attention he got from the other man. He didn’t want to alert anyone to what they were doing though so keeping quiet was for the best really. At least until everyone in the camp wouldn’t cause world world three because he had jumped into bed with the first person that showed an interest in with him after leaving his wife.. He was nibbling on his lover’s neck when the other man grunted a curse out, his voice hoarse as he spoke.

       "Come on darling. Cum for me. Don’t have much time before they come looking fer us." Daryl panted, Rick bit down hard on the skin he’d been nibbling on without meaning to as his world went white. He felt Daryl shudder over him though the pleasant numbness that settled in the aftermath of his orgasm and barely remembered to let the skin in between his teeth go as his lover slumped over him. After a couple moments the other man’s weight resting on him became uncomfortable, as did the sticky mess that was cooling and dripping in his pants. That was the one down side that came when one came in their pants like a teenager.

       Rick pushed at Daryl’s shoulder with a huff, trying to get him off as the embarrassment that came with realizing what he had just done set in. He had just cum in his pants after rutting against Daryl in Dale’s RV. Was he a teenager or something again to go along with finding himself in the past? Daryl chuckled under his breath, moving off of him gingerly, making sure that he didn’t hurt the man below him by leaning on any of his wounds as he moved. The hunter made it as far as sliding onto the floor, where he leaned against the couch and Rick’s leg, his hand going to where the other man had bitten after a few moments and rubbing it with a pleased grin on his face. The other man looked smugger than ever as he basked.

      "I swear I didn’t drag ya inta here for that darling. Not that I’m complaining about it happening when the only thing I’ve been thinking about since I saw you in Atlanta was seeing ya like this." The shaggy haired man said with a sigh, the smug look only disappearing slightly. Rick chuckled, stretching out on the couch and feeling relaxed as hell. He hadn’t realized how wound up he’d been until that feeling was gone, and he couldn’t blame Daryl for this happening. He remembered a time all to clearly where they snuck off after most every skirmish when it was still safe to and a hell of a lot more then rutting with their clothes on happened then.

      He looked at Daryl with a lazy grin on his face, basking in the feeling of a great orgasm and having his lover right next to him, wondering how they were going to explain their appearance later. Daryl had a cat that ate the canary grin on his face and he was betting when he looked into a mirror he would look well loved himself. Rick felt like an idiot for even thinking that with Daryl remembering he’s be able to control himself and keep thier relationship under wraps for any length of time. Especially given the fact that thier libido’s wereactive as ever and once thwy had gotten together they never had much self control.

       "It was bound ta happen sooner or later love. We haven’t exactly had the chance ta do anything for a long time, so it was long over due given everything that’s happened." He replied and boy was his voice rough right now. Even though he hadn’t screamed or anything during thier encounter it felt like he had been, He paused for a second, remembering what Daryl had said before Rick had broke his resolve to do anything right then and there and they had started rutting like there was no tomorrow. "So if I’m the daddy of the group does that make you the mommy?" He teased playfully. Daryl glared at him and groaned.

        "Don’t ya ever say that shit around Merle Grimes. He’ll have a field day with it and before I know it the ducklings will be whispering about mommy and daddy behind our backs... Again." The other man grunted, before he cursed and prodded where Rick had bitten once again, wincing a little this time. "This is gonna bruise asshole, how the hell am I supposed ta explain that?" He grumbled. Rick felt more than a little smug at the fact he had left a mark on his lover, more so than the unease of people knowing about them so soon.

        "If anyone asked just tell them I jumped you, that your mother henning was too much and I gave into my desires.I aint going to hide that I love ya. Morgan knows yer attracted ta me and he’s given you his okay." He replied, making the decision right then and there. Daryl’s lips twitched at the simple statement.

         "I think I was the one ta jump ya darling, since I did kinda throw ya onto the couch and all." He shot back. Suddenly, like with all things peaceful, their light hearted conversation ended when there was a groan from the back of the RV. Daryl cursed under his breath, getting up and Rick knew that it was time to get back to reality. As he watched his lover head towards where Jim was he got up himself.

         "Is he alright?" He asked, coming back and trying to ignore the cum that was cooling around his crotch. Daryl snorted, and Rick paused at the bathroom door, waiting for his response.

         "He’s still alive and kicking Rick. Get yerself cleaned up and get back out there ta see what’s going on with the ducklings. Ya said Peletier was bit and if the walkers didn’t get him again he’s gonna be on his way out soon. And ya need ta see if Jacqui was bit for sure or not." the hunter shot back at him. Rick grinned to himself, and entered the bathroom to try and clean himself up the best he could before he returned to the others.. He avoided looking into the mirror until the last minute, before sighing and touching his lips softly.

        He looked well kissed, as they were swollen and dark red, and his hair was messed up but that could be fixed. Other that that he didn’t look like he had just had a clothed quickie with his secret (for now) lover. When Rick exited the bathroom he checked in on Daryl- who was tipping some water into Jim’s mouth. His hunter raised an eyebrow at him, before motioning to the door and Rick chuckled before following his direction. The crowd out there wouldn’t wait forever for him to come out after all.

* * *

 

        Peletier could wait, Rick decided as he made his way to where Morgan had tied Jacqui up before the walkers had invaded their camp. Morgan was with her once again and as the doctor looked up a smug smile crossed his lips. Rick could feel a blush spreading across his face at that look. Rick had a feeling that Morgan somehow knew what had happened after Daryl had dragged him away. And that was embarrassing because Morgan’s behavior was already quite parental and now he knew that Rick was getting some.

        "For some reason yer boy arranged a sleepover in my tent tonight Grimes. Just so ya know not to expect him ta bed down in yers and all." The evil man took the smug look one step further as he spoke. Rick felt like his face was going to catch fire at that. Oh boy, he was in for it tonight if he didn’t talk Carl back into sleeping in their tent. Not that he wanted to avoid having sex with Daryl or anything. He would just prefer if it happened on their own terms and without this hyena 15 yard away listening in to see if he was right. God, the cop almost felt like a kid that was being tested to see if he could be trusted with his boyfriend for the night without jumping him. That or as if he was being encouraged to get laid by the lech. He wouldn’t put it past Morgan to interrupt them if he thought it was too much for Rick.

        "How is she doing Morgan?" Rick asked, trying to distract his grinning friend from whatever he was thinking and get him back on track. He still didn’t know if Jacqui had been bit or not and that was something that he needed to know. Ed dying wasn’t bad, but loosing this woman? Well Rick had failed to protect her and that was all he could think about right now. Morgan frowned, looking at the woman who was still unconscious and sighing so softly it was almost not there. He didn’t look too happy.

        "I was just about to properly examine her ankle now that I have the time to without worrying about a walker coming up and biting my dumb ass while I’m not looking. She’s not running a fever like Peletier is, but she’s still out like a broken light and that worries me." He replied, his voice loosing all humor as he spoke, taking on a darker tone. Rick frowned and looked at the night around them. There wasn’t enough light out here to get a good look at the wound and they needed to figure out what was going on.

        "We’ll need to get her into the RV for you to look at." the cop pointed out, trying to be helpful. Morgan snorted at that, looking at him and glaring like Rick had just told him that he was going to dive head first into another fight. He raised an eyebrow, wonder what he had done now to deserve that look.

         "You’re not doing a damned thing tonight Grimes. I can’t stop ya from defending this camp obviously, but I can stop ya from helping me lug around the dead weight of a passed out woman." The Doctor grumbled under his breath. There was a snort from behind them that had both men stiffening.

         "I’ll help ya out there Doctor. If we don’t get Jacqui into the RV somehow Rick will just do it himself the second we turn out backs and I agree he’s exerted himself more than enough today." Shane announced, coming up to them. Morgan made a face at the sound of his voice. Rick still didn’t know how to smooth over his friend’s dislike if his partner, but that was a problem for another day. The Doctor looked at Rick.

         "Now look at that Grimes. Your stalker’s gong to help me move her so why don’t you do something useful like check and see how your followers are doing Grimes. Biker Boy took long enough looking you over that some of them are worried that you really did get hurt after all." Morgan announced with a grin. He ignored Rick’s groan at that as he looked over to the other cop. Stalker boy didn’t look too happy with his nickname but the Doctor was more than okay with that. Rick was being too soft on the backstabbing asshole in his opinion. If his wife had started sleeping with his best friend he wouldn’t just go ‘Oh well’ and let them both off the hook. Rick just wasn't dealing with the betrayal and that wasn't healthy for him damn it.

       "Tell me what you find out when ya get a good look at her. We’re lucky as hell that we didn’t lose any more people in that attack." Rick asked, drawing both men’s attention to him. He got two identical snorts from the two very different men, along with fond and proud looks. It was actually quite funny, no matter how different they seemed at the heart of the matter they were the same when it came to him apparently.

      "Your the one that rallied us together and kept us alive tonight man. It would have been a mess if I’d been the one ta handle organizing everyone ta keep them safe tonight. We’re lucky as hell that ya got here when you did to tell you the truth brother." Shane spoke, his voice very fond. Morgan snorted.

       "Yer damn right the lot of you idiots are lucky we made it here. I saw just how much work Rick and the Biker brothers put into even giving yer people even rudimentary self defense training. Training they should have been getting from day one of this mess instead of relying on one or two fighters to protect them all. This place couldn’t have lasted forever and the longer we stay here the worse traveling is going ta be." The ex military doctor grumbled irately. Rick winced at the lecture as Shane looked away. Morgan did not mince his words, or act shy about placing blame where he saw fit. And the doctor blamed Shane for the people that he had been in charge of being unprepared for the realities of this new world they lived in.

         "I get that I’ve made a shit ton of mistakes for the sake of an easy life with this group, but there aint a thing I can change about how I acted before. The only thing I can do is support Rick there now that he’s making the changes that I should have seen too weeks ago." The other cop murmured, the guilt in his voice audible for anyone listening to hear. A flash of surprise and maybe a little guilt flashed over Morgan’s face at his response and Rick decided to let them do their thing. If he let himself he’d get distracted by them.

        "I’ll be over with the others." He murmured, interrupting whatever Morgan was going to say to Shane. He couldn’t always play mediator, they would have to come to terms with each other on their own and he knew that. Morgan held grudges like no ones business, and he only ever got over them in his own time. The Doctor in question waved his hand, dismissing Rick as he gave Shane a hard look. The time traveling cop grinned to himself as he walked over to the next group of his people. Andrea, Amy and Carol were close to Peletier, and the battered wife had an axe pick in her hand already. Too bad Peletier wasn’t dead yet.

         "Is everything okay here ladies?" Rick asked, wondering just how Carol had come to the decision to end her husband’s undead life. Amy looked at him with wide eyes and Andrea straightened up.

         "Everything’s fine Officer Grimes. Amy and I are waiting with Carol until the bastard she calls her husband dies. She’s decided that she wants to take care of him before he comes back. I offered to do it, but she’s insisting that it be her." Andrea explained. Rick was a little surprised that Carol had already made the decision to do it to tell the truth, but he shouldn’t have been. He’s seen that glimpse of his Carol earlier today after all. The short hair woman shifted when he didn’t respond right away, looking up.

          "He’s my husband. My responsibility to deal with." She murmured, her voice cracking but strong in a way that he didn’t expect given that until earlier today Ed had her under his thumb. Rick smiled at her gently, trying to reassure he he thought she was doing the right thing. If she was taking this step without his interference then he wasn’t going to question it in the slightest, because in all honesty he hadn’t been sure how he was going to manage talking her into it if it hadn’t been something that she was willing to do.

          "I understand. Is there anything I can do for ya Miss Carol?" He asked. Carol smiled weakly while Andrea grinned widely, approval clear in her eyes. Carol’s hand that wasn’t holding the pick axe motioned to Amy subtly, and there was a little hesitation in her eyes as she glanced over at the younger girl.

          "If you wouldn’t mind checking in on Sophia I would like that. She’s with the other children." Carol murmured, looking at him squarely once more and showing that steely determination again. He nodded, understanding the meaning under her words at once. She didn’t want Amy to see this happen anymore than she wanted her daughter to witness it. While it was a sight that everyone was going to have to get used to at some point he couldn’t see a reason not to let her have this moment. Andrea would stay with her to back her up of course, but Amy didn’t need to see it right now. He looked at the young woman with a grin.

         "Hey Amy, do you mind showing me where the kids are?" He asked, keeping his voice at a friendly and even pitch so she didn’t suspect that he was going to be leading her away at the other woman’s request. The young blonde nodded, a grin forming on her pale face as she moved away from her sister and Carol.

        "Sure thing Rick, Those kids were really brave when the walkers came, only the Moralas kids cried in fact. Duane and Carl actually cuddled Sophia in the middle of everything and told her jokes." She hummed, waving at the two women as she joined Rick. The cop looked towards Carol and she smiled at him, nodding as he felt Amy tug at his arm. He gave her a nod in return before following Amy to where the children were.

* * *

* * *

 

        When the time came for Carol to take care of her husband Rick knew it even from where he was entertaining the children with Amy. There was a primal cry that had everyone standing on edge, and when he tried to distract the now tense children he could hear the slick hits of the pick axe into Ed’s skull. It seemed like forever before the hits stopped and then he could barely hear Carol sobbing in the night air.

       Rick had to stop Sophia from running to find her mother, knowing the woman wouldn’t want her little girl to see her with her father’s blood covering her. Glen and Moralas nodded to him as they past him with a handful of clothes, a towel and some bathing supplies in hand and he knew that they were going to escort Carol and Andrea to the water so the grieving woman could clean up what blood had gotten on her. He had asked them to do so after he’d gotten to the children and they had completely understood his reasoning.

       So the cop sat waiting, with a little blonde girl crying into his shoulder as he held her. Even if Ed was an abusive bastard Sophia had just lost her father and she needed to be comforted. Hopefully Carol had gathered herself back together by the time she got cleaned up, because Rick was a poor substitute for her. The darkness of the night around them, plus the emotional exhaustion the little girl was experiencing had her asleep within just a couple minutes though, and Rick found himself with an armful of the dead weight of a sleeping child. He had to hide his smile in her hair at the sound of her even breaths. She was warm and alive and even if he had to die himself she was going to stay that way. There would be no undead little girl stumbling out of Hershal’s barn this time around. Sophia was going to have a chance to live this time.

        It was funny though, how the moment someone slipped into sleep’s greedy grasp they became ten times as heavy, but as a father he was well used to that weight. Even in the future Judy would often fall asleep on him, leaving him to hold her or risk jostling her out of her delicate sleep. A child born and raised in this hell didn’t sleep soundly after all, the littlest noise or movement had Judy bolting up there in the end.

        "Rick?" A voice broke him out of his memories of his own little girl. He looked up to see a freshly cleaned Carol, who was wearing some of the clothes Rick had brought from his home- Lori’s clothes. His ex-wife, who had already gone to bed, might have an issue with it in the morning but Rick didn’t care.

        "Hey Carol, feeling a bit better?" He greeted softly, not knowing how hard Sophia normally slept and he’d rather avoid waking her up if he could. She gave him a shaky smile and eased herself on the ground next to him. Out of the corner of his eye Rick noticed Morgan ushering his son and Carl to his tent and the Moralas family had gone to their sleeping area sometime while he was lost in thought.

        "I don’t feel guilty for ending him, if that’s what you mean. But I do feel better. I couldn’t stop him from hurting me or Sophia and now he won’t get to do it again. We’re finally safe, or as safe as we can be with what the world has turned into, so I can’t help but be relieved that he got bit. I know you would have kept an eye on him ta keep him from hurting us cause of what ya did earlier today, but he would have found a way." The older than her time woman murmured. She rubbed her eyes, and Rick could tell she was exhausted. He looked over to where Glen had set up a tent while they were waiting before back at her.

       "I would have ended him myself if he hurt either of you two again Carol. I promise that." He assured her. She looked at him a second, before nodding to herself and he grinned. "Now Glen took the initiative ta set up a tent fer you and this little one so ya didn’t have to go back to the one ya were in. It’s right over there if ya don’t mind us taking the the liberty and all." He added, guaging her reaction. She sagged down, relief painted over her features and Rick made a note to make sure Glen knew how good his idea had been.

       "I’ll make sure to thank Glen in the morning, but I’m glad that I don’t have to sleep there again. I don’t think I could have, not with being surrounded with all of his things." She whispered softly, before looking at her child with worry in her eyes. "Did she... Was she.. How did she take what happened?" Carol asked, her voice breaking slightly as she stumbled over her words. Rick kissed the little girl’s head absentmindedly when she whimpered in her sleep, the move designed to comfort the child ingrained into his core personality because of his years as a father. Carol’s lips twitched into a smile smile at it though.

       "I think she was more upset when she heard how upset you were and I wouldn’t let her go to you." He admitted. She blushed, looking a little horrified as she stared at him, her hand wringing.

       "You could hear me cry all the way over here?" She asked sounding as horrified as she looked. He nodded, trying not to make a big deal out of it in an attempt to try and spare her any embarrassment. Carol had no reason to feel embarrassed about what had happened. That man had abused her and her child so ending him was bound to be an emotional time and everyone knew that well. She sighed, looking away.

       "Hey there, we all gave you some space cause we knew it wasn’t gonna be easy. Don’t feel ashamed cause when it was over everything really hit ya. That’s what makes a person human ya know?" Rick tried to comfort her. Carol looked at him, before nodding to herself and looking at her daughter.

       "We should get her into a bed before she turns into an octopus on ya Rick. Once she gets ya into her grip, then she won’t let go for anything until she wakes up." Carol hummed, reaching for the sleeping girl. Rick was going to get up with her himself before there was a noise and he cursed under his breath before looking up Daryl was standing there, watching both him and carol closely and he knew the Hunter would be taking Sophia before letting either him or Carol carry her. This was going to get annoying quick.

        "Dale’s watching Jim and Jacqui with Shane. Morgan’s going to be heading back over there once he get’s the boys down. Now how about I help you get that sleeping bunny to her bed?" The other man drawled, reaching down for Sophia. The little girl whined as he started pulling her from Rick, her small hands latching onto Rick’s shirt stubbornly. Carol’s giggle broke the night, brightening it just a little. Rick looked over at her and found that she was smirking at him and Daryl, her eyes sparkling.

         "That’s step one of the Octopus hold Rick." She said playfully. When Rick went to gently pry Sophia’s fingers from his shirt Carol stopped him, shaking her head as she stood up. "If she gets a hold of your fingers she’ll never let go of them." She warned, reaching down and doing it herself as she angled her body in between Rick and her daughters head. As soon as one of the little girl’s hands were free from Rick it grasped onto her mother’s shoulder. The other one soon followed and then Carol was straightening up, and bringing Sophia with her. She smiled at the two dumbfounded men, before nodding and heading to the tent that Rick had pointed out earlier without another word. Daryl started chuckling after a moment.

         "She’s gonna be just fine." The shaggy haired man murmured, holding out a hand for Rick. The cop grabbed the offered hand and pulled himself up from he ground, not at all surprised when Daryl pulled him into a hug. He relaxed into the hug, enjoying the feeling of his lover’s arms around him.

        "That she is. How are the two injured ducklings?" He asked mostly because there were still people watching them and that meant that they hadn’t died and turned yet. It also meant that there still might be a chance for them, even if he didn’t believe that himself. Daryl sighed, burying his face into Rick’s neck.

       "From what Morgan says we’re gonna loose Jim, it’s just taking a hell of a lot of time to happen. We weren’t able ta get his body temperature down quick enough and he’s non responsive. Fuck Rick before the world went to hell heat stroke was a dangerous thing. We don’t know when he started showing symptoms, so we don’t know how long he was suffering. Jacqui’s another story all together. Her ankles all torn up, but we can’t tell if teeth caused it, or if that thing did it with it’s nails. She still doesn’t have a fever, but she’s in shock so that could go either way too." his lover explained, his voice heavy. Rick hugged him a little more firmly, assuring him that he was right there. Losing people was always a hard thing.

      "We knew that we were going to lose people no matter what Darling. I count tonight as a win because Amy made it. That girl has a future now and we have to remember we saved her. And we didn’t lose any one else." He murmered, keeping his voice low as he spoke so no one else could hear. Daryl snorted.

     "Plus one for the good guys huh? I was hoping we could get out of here without losing anyone, but I forgot all about Jim and the fact he went a little off today. And we changed things with Peletier too. And that got Jacqui where she is now. Why the hell did that woman try and help him?" Daryl grunted in reply. Rick sighed, leaning into the shorter man just a little. Jacqui helping Ed was odd and at the same time it wasn’t. That woman could hate the other man all that she wanted, but even she couldn’t stand by and let him be eaten alive. It wasn’t in her nature, even knowing what kind of man he was.

      "Even though she ended her life the way she did last time she’s a good woman Daryl, that’s why she couldn’t just leave him ta get eaten. When do you have ta get back to the RV?" Rick replied, changing the topic abruptly. Daryl chuckled and kissed his neck, and Rick melted just a little bit even as his mind screamed that this little scene was taking place in full view of anyone who happened to be watching.

      "Not tonight according ta the people who chased me out. Merle told me he’d camp out in there, but yer friend Morgan mentioned you would be alone tonight to Dale and the old guy basically chased me out with his broom while ranting about someone needing ta watch ya in case you’d managed ta hide any new wounds. That man’s taken you in as one of his own, just like those girls." The hunter murmered against the skin his lips were touching. Rick bit his lip to stop himself from making a sound at the feeling that caused- like an embarrassing moan. It was decided, Morgan was trying to get him laid and he had Dale on his side.

      "Then I guess ya better get ta watching me huh?" He murmured huskily, licking his lips. Daryl chuckled again, before pulling away from the hug and tugging Rick in the direction of their tents. As he followed the hunter Rick had the feeling that the other man wouldn’t be even pretending to use his own tent for long, not if the matchmakers of this camp had thier way. And he found that he was just fine with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notice: There will be another chapter posted that has the rest of Daryl and Rick's night. This takes care of my pesky crossposting dilemma and the Chapter was just getting too large... I felt like it was rambling. Part two of the night won't be this large. It will just be focused of Rick and Daryl, then the story continues on as normal with another chapter! I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter though
> 
> *Wanders off to work on he stories*


	13. Surviving the Night: Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Sorry this chapter took so long. I had an unexpected trip come up and I haven't had much acess to the internet. That being said I won't pretend the promised night between Rick and Daryl just came out like wham bam thank you mam. In fact I think informing everyone that there would be a special Sex chapter made me a little nervous about keeping our men in character. I think I was able to. But I'll let you lot be the judges of that. I will not that this Chapter turned out to be longer then I expected it to be :P Enjoy!
> 
> Warnings: SEX. SEX between MEN. If you don't like it, or are in a location where reading such things are not advisable currently then click the back button now. You have been warned.

       Rick gasped as he was pushed onto his bedding because he wasn’t expecting the playful shove Daryl had given him almost as soon as he had unzipped the tent door. He chuckled under his breath then watched as Daryl climbed into the tent and zipped it closed behind him. Once they were shut off from the outside world his Hunter’s eyes found his and the other man smirked as he crawled over to him in a smooth motion designed to draw his lover’s eyes to him. Rick watched the other man’s approach, his heart pounding at the sight and his mouth drying at the promise painted over his lover’s face as he watched his reaction closely.

       Oh boy, he was in for it tonight, if what he could read on Daryl face was anything to go by. He looked aroused, but there was also a sort of desperation in his eyes- like he couldn’t believe that this was real still and he needed to prove it to himself. The hunter chuckled as he settled next to him on the bedding, rubbing one hand over the cop’s arm in a gentle, teasing motion, but not making a move to do anything else.

        As the light, soothing touch continued Rick felt himself relaxing into the bedding and the touch. The day had been quite hectic, and even though the prospect of enjoying his lovers attention sexually all night was appealing to Rick, a chance to calm down and enjoy the non sexual side of their relationship was also nice to have. There was no need to rush when they weren’t expecting anything to happen or anyone to barge in right this second after all. Daryl smirked at him knowingly as Rick shifted closer to him.

      The hunter just continued stroking his arm, and somehow his touch felt as intimate as their romp in the RV had been, more so even because there was no urgency in this interaction. This casual relaxation and simple enjoyment of one another was something that they wouldn’t see a lot of in the coming weeks or months even, not until they retook and set up shop in the Prison that is. Neither man felt the need hurry onto the sexual portion of tonight since their RV encounter had taken the edge off that need for now at least.

     Rick leaned over and kissed his lover, threading one of his hands through the other mans lighter hair as he did, shivering as he was rolled onto his back and Daryl fitted his body on top of his. The hunter managed to not break the kiss, or put too much weight on him as he shifted their position, making his lover grin into the gentle kiss. He pulled away, gently nipping Rick’s bottom lip before looking at him softly, love and happiness seeming to radiate from him as he did so.

      "We ain’t gonna take this fast tonight Darling, promise ya that. I got ya all to myself for the first time since ya got back, all the ducklings are out there and accounted for and if something goes bad with the injured ones they know what ta do cause Merle’s right there with ‘um. That means I get ta map you out and drive ya insane as much as I want ta cause yer Doctor friend laid down the law with the others about ya needing yer rest. And you bet yer pretty ass that I’m gonna take my time with ya, even if I’m pretty sure the Doc didn’t quite mean this when he told me ta make sure you got plenty of rest and relaxation before morning." Daryl purred, his eyes glinting with mischief and arousal. Rick groaned, his head spinning already from the blood rushing south due to the words being spoken and the tone that they were said in.

      "Don’t ya dare jinx us by thinking nothing can go wrong now Daryl. Ya know better than ta do that by now don’t ya?" Rick couldn’t resist teasing with a grin. His lover chuckled, brushing a thumb over his cheek, before shifting so he was on his knees in between Rick’s legs. The cop raised an eyebrow at his lover, wondering what he was planning to do next, although he shouldn’t have. When Daryl started unbuttoning his shirt Rick naturally tried helping him only to have his hands swatted away and his lover smirk at him.

      "I see what I get when I try ta get ya not ta worry about the others. I ain’t jinxing a thing. You just lay there relax right now Darling, I got this. Doc said ya need rest and relaxation anyways." The hunter teased, popping the last button on his shirt open with a smug look. Rick rolled his eyes as he reached up and grabbed Daryl’s shoulder to use to lift himself up just enough for the other man to be able to peel his shirt off. No matter what the Hunter thought his clothes weren’t coming off without his participation. Not when he was laying on his back. Daryl nipped his ear in response, making Rick moan softly before he bit his own lip. Even though he was more than a little sure that a couple of his people knew what was going to happen tonight he didn’t need to drawn attention to them by making his usual appreciative noises.

     For every person who didn’t give a damn if he and Daryl got together there was Lori to counter them. And Rick didn’t want his ex-wife to come and ruin this just because she heard him. Making love to Daryl in a damn tent was going to be tricky enough, even if this was a larger model. One wrong movement would have this whole thing shaking and rumors being spread. After Daryl freed his shirt from his pants and tugged it off he kissed rick again, tugging his lip free from his teeth gently and he lowered him to the ground again. Then he was undoing Rick’s belt and popping the button of his pants. When Rick went to dig his heels into the bedding to lift his hips up he was suddenly reminded that he still had his boots on.

     "I told ya just ta relax Darling. I got those too, don’t ya go rushing me." Daryl murmured as he came to the realization to, breaking the kiss and letting his fingers linger at the skin on Rick’s lower stomach for a moment before backing up on his knees so he could get to the other man’s boots. Rick groaned, tipping his head back. He was used to taking care of things on his own, giving up that independence didn’t come easy in anyway but after his little break from reality at the prison every so often Daryl would make sure that he did just that after they had gotten together, if only in the privacy of their own living space.

    It was never anything kinky, unless you counted the one or two times Daryl had tied his hands to a bar or bedpost when he wouldn’t give in and listen to him. But Rick knew that he was expected to follow Daryl’s directions when the other man took charge like this. And considering when the last time they had been intimate had been? Well it was long past time for Rick not to be in charge for a little bit and Daryl seemed to understand that without needing to be told that this redo on top of their deaths was stressful. Rick felt like he was responsible for keeping these people alive and sane, but seeing the dead alive and well and not being able to grab them into a hug and apologize for letting them die before was hard.

     The only thing worse than the guilt, was dealing with the harpy that his ex-wife was these days. He’d been a fool that remembered her with rose tinted glasses before, hell even his little break from reality when she died having Judy made him cringe a little now when he looked back at it. If she had survived after having their daughter there was no way in hell she would have accepted him becoming lovers with another man, not after she blamed him for still being alive after killing Shane and not forgiving her for sleeping with him. Daryl would have ended up ending her before too long if she had acted the way that she was now though.

       The cop’s lips twitched at that thought. The road ran two ways with them, and there were times that Rick took control when Daryl was at the end of his chain too. It was something that kept both of the men sane and their relationship strong- that knowledge that the other was right there to take care of them even if they didn’t want to admit that they needed it. He gave an appreciative hum when his boots loosened and his feet were freed from their constriction. After Daryl shifted back up in between his knees Rick dug his heels into the bedding, and lifted his hips so the other man could work on getting his pants off.

      As the cool night air hit certain aroused parts of his body as his pants were tugged to his knees Rick hissed in displeasure. It was a universal truth that cold and erections did not mix, and the air was noticibly cooler when he didn’t have pants on. Daryl snickered from his position as Rick lowered his hips and let the other man manipulate his body to free his legs from his pants and underwear. The Hunter kissed his hip after he was done, the stubble of his facial hair scraping along sensitive skin and directing Rick’s mind back to the task at hand. He groaned at the feeling, not even thinking about monitoring the sounds he made in that moment and he felt his lover’s lips curl against his skin in a satisfied smirk at the noise. The hunter pressed another kiss to his hip, just a little bit closer to his groin and the proud erection that jutted from it’s bed of curls, making him bit down on his lip to stop the second groan from escaping.

      "I’m gonna make ya holler before the night’s through. Ya know that don’t ya Darling? I like hearing ya sing out how much yer enjoying yerself too damn much ta really give two fucks about what anyone thinks about us getting together. I can more than handle anyone who thinks they have the right ta complain about it. That or I’ll just sick the Doc on them, he’s itching ta tear into certain people already." Daryl breathed, his voice husky and his breath caressing the organ that was begging for attention as he turned his head to look at Rick as he spoke. Rick bit his lip harder as he muffled a whimper deep in his throat, turning the sound into a strangled version of it’s original sound. As much as he wanted to stay quiet Daryl wasn’t teasing him. The cop knew that by the time they were done he would be too gone to think about keeping quiet, because Daryl had made it his mission to draw those noises out of him.

      The hunter snickered before leaning over and licking a line from the base of his cock up to the crown, his shirt rubbing against Rick’s inner thighs as the warm tongue caressed him. The cop watched, with wide eyes as he fought back another appreciative sound. The other man’s blue eyes twinkled michieviously as his tongue reached the tip and he gave the entire head a lick- gathering the few drops of precum that had started to bead there. A groan escaped both of them as Daryl tasted him. Rick let his head drop back down onto his pillow hard as he licked his sore lip, trying to soothe the ache that biting it had left behind. The other man was going to be the death of him if he kept fighting making the noises that Daryl obviously wanted..

     "Fuck I missed the taste of ya." The hunter purred in a husky voice when that was his only response to the sensual move. Rick groaned at the husky statement, he knew why his lover was being so damn verbal. He was baiting the cop into making a noise, because the asshole knew what his voice did to him, especially when they were being intimate like this. Fuck, as it was he wasn’t going to be able to look at Daryl without blushing like mad for the next couple days, let alone what the other man speaking would do to him.

      The aroused Cop gasped suddenly as his cock was enveloped in a familiar warmth. One of Rick’s hands fisted the bedding under him, while the other grabbed the back of Daryl’s head and he tried not to push the other man to swallow more of him. His eyes rolled as the other man chuckled, the vibrations from his laugh surrounding the portion of cock that was in his mouth and traveling straight to his balls. One of the hunter’s hands gripped his hip, his thumb moving in a soothing circle and then he was lowering his head carefully, swallowing Rick down and making him whimper as the muscles of his throat worked his cock.

       "Jesus Christ Daryl." Rick moaned, unable to help himself as his lover’s lips tightened around him and the other man sucked hard as he raised his head up. The feelings that suction caused were driving him insane, but he didn’t get a chance to gather himself as the man torturing him bobbed his head back down, swallowing his length back down almost immediately. Rick groaned, keeping himself quiet now the last thing on his mind as all of his concentration focused of the man in between his legs. As he tightened his grip on Daryl’s hair the other man hummed around his cock again and Rick’s eyes rolled again as he whined. Time lost meaning for the pleasured filled man as his lover set a maddening pace to his sucking, humming and licking. All Rick could do was gasp and whine as he tried to make Daryl go faster, give him something more because the evil ass had him on the brink and he was keeping him there.

     The end to Rick’s pleasured hell came with a particularly hard suck, and one of Daryl’s long fingers working it’s way inside of him. He may have screamed as he came, he knew there was a shout in there somewhere, but when he was able to focus again Daryl was pulling his finger out of him and grinning at him smugly with swollen, bright red lips that were only marred by a spot of cum that had leaked from his mouth. Rick gave a weak shudder as the other man pulled away and undressed himself.

      "Now that I got my taste of ya, let’s see about opening up that pretty little ass of yers like I promised Eh? Ya sang for me wonderfully by the way, probably made the night of all those closet pervs we call our people out there in fact." Daryl taunted smugly as he peeled his clothes off, his voice husky and low in the aftermath of the oral ministrations he had given to Rick. The cop groaned weakly, glaring at his lover for the comment about his noises, he knew that the other man had been well aware of the fact that he had wanted to keep quiet. The hunter ignored him, groaning as he popped the button and lowered the zipper on his jeans, letting his cock pop out. Rick’s attention was drawn to the sight, and his mouth watered.

      "Yer an evil man." the cop murmured absentmindedly, suddenly wishing that he wasn’t jelly like in the aftermath of his orgasm. If his limbs would work he’d show the other man a thing or two, since he had the sudden urge to get a taste of Daryl himself. The other man snickered, toeing off his boots and stepping out of his pants, watching as Rick’s gaze traveled over the length of his body hungrily with a knowing look.

      "I sure am, but ya like that about me Grimes. Don’t ya go get any funny ideas about changing anything up now though. Tonight’s about you, ya can make me sing another night if ya want ta." Daryl hummed, bending over and giving Rick a teasing view of his perfect ass as he grabbed something from a pack that hadn’t been there when Rick had left the tent last. When he made his way back over to the prone cop Rick saw a tube of lube in the other man’s hands. Daryl winked and waved the object teasingly.

     "I may have made sure to stock up on this shit over the last couple runs inta Atlanta, considering when we got together last time it wasn’t easy ta find and I wanted ta have it fer when I finally got inta yer pants." The hunter informed him smugly in a teasing tone. "Spit does the job, but this makes opening ya up all the more easier and I don’t hafta worry about hurting ya as much cause it won’t dry up on me." Rick groaned, and even though he had just come not to long ago his cock gave a twitch of interest at what was to come as the hunter settled back in between his legs and prodded them apart further so he could have more access to him. Rick spread them willingly, looking forward to having Daryl in him.

      There was a moment of complete silence, before one slippery finger worked it’s way back into Rick and the cop groaned, arching his hips slightly and pushing himself down on the invading digit. Daryl chuckled at the action, bending to give his twitching cock another lick that made Rick’s gut clench because he was still to sensitive for that sort of stimulation. The cop moaned in protest, batting a hand at his lover’s head to get him to stop torturing him. All he got in response was another teasing lick and the finger inside of him pulling out before being thrust back into him as soon as it was almost free of his body. Rick cursed as it’s angle changed and it went deeper, hitting his prostate. If he thought the lick was torturous it was nothing compared to this almost painful pleasure shooting through him.

      "Daryl!" Rick called out breathlessly, arching his hips away from the finger in an attempt to stop the stimulation. The hand on his hip tightened in a move that clearly told him to keep still as the Hunter started working his finger in and out, thankfully not repeating the prod to his prostate again. Rick relaxed into the motion, barely reacting to the slight burn as a second finger was lubed and joined the first, then a third came into play. The third one made him wince a little though, he hadn’t had sex with another male in a long time in this time line, and it had been even longer since he bottomed. Daryl’s grip relaxed on his hip, and his thumb continued it’s soothing motion as the other man stilled his movements for a moment.

      "Tell me when I can move them again Darling. Sorry fer that, I got a little bit too excited watching ya fuck my fingers and I forgot that you ain’t done this in a while yet. Didn’t mean ta hurt ya any." The hunter murmured thickly, the apology clear in his tone. Rick shot him a glare at that, not seeing any reason for the other man to apologize for one little wince, pushing his hips down and gritting his teeth a little at the burn forcing himself to take the fingers caused. It was worth it to prove his point to his lover though.

       "It ain’t nothing that I can’t handle Dixon." He hissed, sick and tired of the gentle kid gloves people had taken to handling him with. He understood that it was just their worry, but he knew he was made of tougher shit then most of these people thought. Daryl out of everyone should know that too. The hunter snorted, crooking his fingers and pushing against his prostate making him forget his ire as he yelped.

      "I know that Darling, but I said I wasn’t gonna rush this and that’s just what I was doing. Cool your fucking horses down and stop being so damn sensitive about things." His lover retorted, getting back into using his fingers to stretch Rick out. The Cops head lowered with a thump as he relaxed into the finger fucking, his mind going blank as the hunter seemed to decide that manipulating his prostate as he worked was the best way to handle any possible reappearance of Rick’s temper. It worked, too well in fact.

       Rick was well on his way to his second orgasm of the night when the fingers in him were suddenly gone. Before he could protest to the loss Daryl slid up his body, kissing him and plunging his tongue into his mouth. The Cop groaned into the kiss, giving as good as he received. He yelped into the kiss as the other man used his distraction with the kiss to his advantaged, flipping them with a surprising ease so that Rick was on top of him. When Rick pulled away from the kiss to ask him what the hell was going on Daryl smirked, both of his hands going to the Cop’s hips as he settled himself into the bedding.

        "Before ya go yelling at me fer babying ya or anything else that might pop inta that head of yers, I want ya to know yer riding me tonight, since ya missed out on riding that damn horse inta Atlanta and all. I wanna see ya fuck yerself on my cock." Daryl teased huskily, gripping Rick hips a little tighter as he spoke. Rick stared at him as the words took a few moments to register in his foggy mind, then he blushed bright red, but he didn’t back down from the challenge. The cop shakily raised himself onto his knees, before reaching back and positioning Daryl’s cock at his entrance, all too aware of the fact that his lover was watching his every movement with a hungry look in his now dark, lust filled blue eyes.

      Daryl’s grip on his hips didn’t speed up or even slow down his descent as he lowered himself, it just kept him steady as all of his world suddenly centered on the familiar, comforting burn of his lover stretching him as inch by inch of the familiar length was reintroduced to his insides. Rick moaned at the feeling, gripping Daryl’s forearms, trying to focus on something other than what he was feeling. With how wound up the other man had gotten him this would be one hell of a short ride if he didn’t watch himself.

       "Fuck." Rick groaned out as he was finally seated against the other man’s groin. He felt full, and a little sore already. He’d definitely be showing what he had done tonight in his walk tomorrow. One of Daryl’s hands left his hip and stroked over his ass cheek as the other man groaned, flexing his hips slightly. How the Hunter had stayed still was Rick was impaling himself he would never know.

       "Take all the time ya want to Darling. I’m so fucking close to cumming it ain’t funny. Between yer singing when I was giving ya head and opening ya up I managed to work myself up quite a bit." The hunter panted. Rick gave him an appraising look, trying to figure out if he was being serious. All the same after a few minutes he levered himself up, whimpering as the his lover’s flesh dragged against his insides as it was pulled out, and then he lowered himself in another slow descent, listening to Daryl moaned, his grip tightening as his hips arched, trying to speed the pace up already. Rick smirked. If Daryl wanted slow he could give him slow, and then see how long that notion stayed in his hunter’s mind.

        Four. That was the number of times Rick managed to slowly raise and lower himself in his lover’s lap before the grip on his hips started pressing him down faster, and the hips below him started snapping up faster. Rick moaned as his grip on Daryl’s forearms tightened and he settled in for the ride, barely having to use his own leg muscles to raise himself as Daryl took over. The other man was panting, looking at him with blown pupils and his mouth half open as the tent quickly filled with the sound of their coupling. Rick stiffened first, his body clenching down on the flesh in it as his second orgasm crashed into him after a particularly hard thrust hit his prostate, his cum painting Daryl’s chest. His cry of completion was drowned out by Daryl’s curse though as the other man followed him into bliss, his scalding cum drenching Rick’s insides as he finally came. Even though Rick felt boneless he resisted the urge to collapse on his lover’s chest. Instead he gingerly raised himself off of Daryl’s softening cock, ignoring the cum slipping out of him as he eased himself onto his side next to him. Daryl of course laughed at that.

       "What, don’t wanna cuddle in yer own cum?" The hunter teased in a hoarse, playful tone. Rick snorted, burying his head into Daryl neck as he curled closer to him, still ignoring the uncomfortable slide of the other man’s semen leaving his body for the moment as he tried to enjoy the afterglow of really great sex. Daryl could tease him all that he wanted, but cleaning up was going to be a bitch. They might even have to take the walk of shame down to the lake, and Rick didn’t even want to know who all was still up and had heard them. His lover sighed and kissed his head, maneuvering himself to wrap an arm around him.

      "Hey now, I didn’t just do all of that fer ya ta worry yerself stupid the moment we got done. Nothing out there matters for the moment. Its just the two of us in here, enjoying ourselves." Daryl scolded him. Rick smiled at him wanly, nodding his agreement. He didn’t shift again until the cooling cum became uncomfortable, and even then he was reluctant to do so. Now that the high of his orgasm had faded he was sore from the action he’d been part of, but it was a good sore. The kind of sore that told him he was alive.

      "We should really clean up before this stuff dries or gets everywhere. I wouldn’t want to explain it to the ladies when my blankets turn up in the laundry cause they’re covered in dried semen." Rick murmured, his voice low and scratchy. Daryl chuckled, squeezing his shoulder before groaning as he got up.

      "I thought of that before too. I got us some water bottles and wash clothes to clean up with and some hand sanitizer to scrub any mess that got onta the blankets off with." His hunter announced, coming back with said items and a small bowl. Rick had his hands batted away once again as he reached for them and Daryl’s grin turned into a smirk as he settled himself down on the bedding once again with a wink.

      "The night’s still all about ya darling. Let me clean up the mess I made, K?" Daryl hummed, wetting down a wash cloth. Rick shivered as the too cool cloth wiped the dripping cum from his ass cheek, before it was drawn over his asshole. He was almost glad when Daryl took it away, but then he saw the other man pouring more water over it to rinse it in the bowl. He closed his eyes as the action was repeated, the cloth even colder against his sensitive skin. Daryl patted his hip after a few minutes and he looked at him.

      "That’s the cleanest I’m getting ya. Throw on some underpants ta catch anything I missed for tonight so we don’t have ta go to the lake. I’ll finish getting cleaned up and them we can call it a night huh?" He asked softly. Rick blushed as the thought of putting on his underwear just to catch and lingering cum, but he did reach for the pair that he had been wearing earlier. There was no point in dirtying up a clean pair right? Daryl chuckled as he did wiggled into the boxer-briefs, and Rick threw him a glare, only to freeze at the sight of his lover running a washcloth over his own body as he cleaned himself up.

         The cop’s cock twitched in his boxer-briefs in renewed interest at the sight and he almost groaned. He’d already come twice tonight, that was more than enough for him right now thank you very much. As he settled back down in a different spot Daryl slipped into his own underpants and scrubbed at the blanket where Rick had settled a little- apparently some cum had made into onto the blanket from inside him after all. When his hunter was done he put away all the supplies, and even unzipped the tent’s door enough to dump the bowl that he had used to rinse the wash cloth out. On his was back to Rick he grabbed a folded blanket before laying down and spreading it over them both. The cop sighed, cuddling closer as he closed his eyes and Daryl’s arms surrounded him, pulling him even tighter against his body as he kissed the top of his head.

        "I love ya Daryl." Rick murmured against his chest, his eyes feeling heavy now that he was warm and sated in his lover’s arms. Daryl’s chest vibrated against his cheek as the other man chuckled and kissed his head again. He smiled to himself, enjoying the simplicity of just being with his lover.

        "I love ya too Grimes. Now get ta sleep. We’ve got an early morning ahead of us, if the injured Ducklings make it through the night that is." Daryl replied. Rick sighed, and even though the reminder of the two potentially dying members of his people demanded that he get up and check on them he found himself following his lover’s directions and slipping into sleep’s gently embrace.


	14. A Look Into Happenings Elsewhere

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: First of all thank you all for being so patient. As you all know I got married last May. February I did a lot of traveling around my birthday and I was away from home for over a week and feeling poorly. I took the dreaded Pee test like a good woman who was going through all the reason's why she might not be feeling the best. Low and behold it was positive. The last couple of months have been a mess in between getting into my Doctor's (Which I did as soon as I could because I've had a couple miscarriages) and managing my wonderful morning sickness (Which is really all day- anytime I smell something that makes my stomach turn, or see something gross) along with other pregnancy symptoms (I literally have been taking naps several times a day because of the fatigue and my sinus's officially hate me). That being said even though I'm only 27 this pregnancy is high risk. I have a clotting disorder, red flags in my family medical history, and previous miscarriages working against me. I had my first ultrasound at 7 weeks, I see my OB about ever 2-3 weeks, and I have a separate doctor managing my blood condition and family medical history. I'm coming to the end of my first trimester and an feeling a bit more human, and remembered I hadn't posted anything in a while (Bad me- I'm so sorry!!!!!)
> 
> With that explanations in mind updates might return back to normal- or become wacky, I don't know. But the further along I get may being things like bed rest (Yes the Doctors have already mentioned this if I run into complications, along with putting me on blood thinners) Please keep being patient with me!!!!!! I WILL NOT ABANDON MY STORIES...
> 
> Now that is over this chapter kinda started writing itself before I finished the last one. I felt like we needed to see what was going on with some of our other favorite characters, and what changes might be happening with them. The two groups should be meeting up soon, and we'll see how that changes things. ^.^ Also, if you've read this far there might be spoiler's for those who haven't seen up to the episode after the mid-season finale. You have been warned. This is a nice and long chapter for your wait though- and we'll get back to our favorite men in the next chapter.

          Hershel looked over his farm and the impossible sights it provided him with a careful eye. When he had first woken up, he hadn’t known what to think about the place he had found himself in. One minute he remembered kneeling in front of the prison with Michonne by his side with the knowledge that the Governor planned to kill one of them, both of them eventually, and then he was waking up in his bed with his missing leg intact and his wife sleeping next to him. For a brief couple of days he convinced himself that the time he had spent with Rick Grimes and his people was all a bad dream, and he would have kept up with that belief if the report of one Rick Grimes getting shot of duty hadn’t made it’s way to him. He really took notice when the reports of the dead rising came in, and unlike last time he didn’t think they were just sick. He knew better then to believe that bullshit from the memories that he shouldn’t have and he wasn’t shy about letting his family know what his opinions on the subject were in an attempt to keep them alive.

          Not everyone believed him though and he really couldn’t blame them for holding onto the hope that the people wandering out there were just sick and could be cure. God knew that he had held onto that hope for long enough that it almost got all of his family killed. It would have gotten them killed eventually if Grimes’ people hadn’t taken it upon themselves to take care of what they knew was a danger. He’d been a fool once and he would be damned if it happened to him again. He wasn’t about to lose his family.

        This time when Annette and Shawn went to help their stumbling, bleeding neighbor Hershel tried to stop them both, remembering that this is how he lost them the first time around. He was able to stop his wife, but his step-son stubbornly continued on, and Otis ran after him with Jimmy in tow as Hershel struggled to load his gun. It was like watching a horror show in slow motion, knowing the ending that was rapidly approaching but trying to stop it anyway. Shawn reached the stumbling figure first and it latched onto him, digging his teeth into his neck in a feral, hunger driven frenzy. Otis went down next as he yanked the once man off his employer’s son, the walker’s head turning and taking a bite out of his arm- just as Hershel’s wife had suffered before. Jimmy was reaching for the biting man, yelling for him to calm down as if the man would suddenly stop attacking him and listen to reason. He would be next if Hershel didn’t act fast.

       By the time Otis’s pained scream joined Shawn’s last gurgles of life Hershel was running with his gun, intent on saving the young man, and maybe Otis, if the larger man didn’t get bit anywhere else but his arm. They had proven that amputating limbs kept the fever from taking hold, so he still had a chance. He shot the teeth gnashing, biting neighbor first, since it was the immediate threat, not even flinching as his bullet went through the side of his once friend’s head and ended his undead life. It took him a second longer to force himself into shooting Shawn in the head to stop him from rising and attacking himself or his family, but he did so even as his gut churned. Grimes’ people had taken care of his boy and wife the last time around and thankfully he hadn’t had to put down any of his family after that.

         His wife was screaming hysterically behind him, but Hershel’s attention was already on Otis. Amputating his arm would change how things played out with Grimes finding his farm, but the man being bit already did that. Even if Otis didn’t die today he wouldn’t be shooting Grimes’ boy and if he didn’t shoot that young man then the group didn’t have a reason to come to him for help. Maybe he could manipulate the girl being lost, if he found her then he could go to the highway that Maggie had ridden to and invite them back to his farm for a rest. He shook himself from his thoughts, he had a situation on his hands that he needed to take care of before he went planning on how to meet Rick and his people.

        "Where are you bit Otis?" He demanded the man who had been shocked into silence when he’d shot Shawn. The large man curled around his bleeding arm defensively and Hershel nodded to himself. "We need ta take that off. Ya saw the poor bastard that was Mr. Crowley. He had bit marks all over him and the news told us the bites spread it. We might be able ta save ya yet Otis." He assessed, already taking off his belt to make a tourniquet, nodding to the machete still hanging uselessly from Jimmy’s belt as he did.

        Otis shook his head, his eyes wide as he hunched over his bleeding arm further, backing away from Hershel while looking at him as if he’s gone insane. One look at Jimmy told him that the young man was giving him the same look and for a moment he wished Maggie remembered the future too. She would be right here with him ordering both of them to follow his directions. Hell she might have even killed Crowley before he’d gotten Shawn or Otis. But she was still blissfully unaware of what was to come.

        "You ain’t cutting my arm off. I need it Hershel, it’s just a small bite. I’ll be alright." Otis declared shakily. Hershel glared at him, they were wasting time with this, and he wasn’t even sure the amputation would work after too long. Rick and the others had gotten to him almost immediately after his bite happened, making the decision to cut his leg off just as quick. He shook his head suddenly, steeling himself.

        "If ya don’t shut up and let me do what I need ta do then yer gonna get locked up in that damn barn right there until the fever takes ya and then I will put you down. I ain’t risking my family or yer wife just cause ya want ta keep that damn arm. Little bite or not, that’s what triggers the fever that kills the infected and then they come back hungry." Hershel declared sternly, spelling out that the man wouldn’t be coddled and cooed over while he was going through his last agonizing moments of life. Otis froze in his retreat, staring at him in horror as the farmer heard his wife gasp. He knew he was being harsh, but he held his ground. The didn’t live in a world where one got bit and walked away whole anymore.

         "I’ll bleed out if I let ya chop it off." Otis said weakly, his hand gripping his injured arm hard, stemming the blood that was flowing from the bite stubbornly. Hershel held up his belt with a pointed look.

          "I’ll tie it off before I remove it and that will stem the blood flow, then we’ll cauterize the stump once that’s done and that will stop any further bleeding. The longer we wait the less likely this is gonna work though Otis. I ain’t doing this ta be mean or anything, but it needs ta be done soon or yer a dead man walking already. Let me try to save ya before I give up at least." Hershel tried one last time. If the large man didn’t let him do what he needed then he was going through with what he had told him he would do.

        He couldn’t afford Otis turning and attacking any of them, his size was more than Hershel could handle head on and the rest of his family wasn’t mentally prepared to kill one of their own. Otis gulped, before letting go of his arm and extended it. Hershel didn’t waste any time in moving and wrapping this belt tightly around the profusely bleeding man’s upper arm and cinching it. Jimmy handed him the machete hesitantly after the older man motioned for it again. When he went to step back Hershel shook his head.

        "I need ya ta hold his arm out for me son, so don’t go anywhere. We need this ta be a clean cut ta avoid causing any more damage then needs ta be done." He ordered the younger man firmly. Jimmy shuddered and shook his head, paling even more as he took another quick step back.

         "I can’t Mr. Greene." He protested weakly, looking like he was going to vomit or faint. Maybe both. Hershel was about to yell at him when he heard a small noise. Maggie was standing next to them, looking as pale as Jimmy, but she had a determined glint in her eyes. She grabbed Jimmy’s arm and nodded to her father as she pulled him forward to where he and Otis were. She took a deep breath.

          "Jimmy and I will hold him for ya Daddy. Right Jimmy?" Hershel’s headstrong eldest stated, not really asking her sister’s boyfriend, but ordering him to help. The old man smiled at her, thankful or her spirit. Even if she wasn’t as hardened as she would get soon, she still was the same person at her core. The strong, smart woman who did what had to be done. The Vet quickly showed the two younger people how he wanted Otis’s arm to be held and told them to brace themselves as he got into position.

         The man’s arm didn’t come of cleanly in one hit because of the blades sharpness and the level of strength that the older man was able to use, it took him swinging the blade twice before it was off in fact. Hershel saw Jimmy sway out of the corner of his eye as he dropped the blade, panting slightly. Otis was bleeding heavily even with the tourniquet so they needed to get him inside where he could use the stove to cauterize the wound. He took a handkerchief from his pocket and pressed it against the stump, ignoring Otis’ pained screams as Maggie jumped into action and fitted herself under the man’s good arm.

         "We need to get him inside now." Hershel ordered gruffly, the realization of what had just happened creeping up on him. He shoved the dark thoughts back violently. This situation wasn’t over. Otis’ survival depended on him keeping a clear mind and getting this bleeding to stop before he lost too much blood. After that it was up to god to decide if they had gotten the arm off soon enough, and if Otis had the strength to recover. Maggie nodded and the father and daughter started moving the bleeding, sobbing man to the house as the pale Jimmy finally passed out and dropped to the ground. Hershel ignored him, and the fact that the small cloth he was pressing to Otis’ stump of an arm was doing nothing to stop the bleeding.

         He needed to move fast or the man would be pass out from the shock and blood loss, maybe even die and he would have made the last moments of his life hell by doing the amputation. He spared Annetta a look as he passed her, but she was staring at their son, Otis’ arm laying on the ground, and Jimmy’s prone form in shock. The farmer felt a stab of guilt when looking at her, but he shook it off. He could talk with her after he had Otis stabilized. Shawn had bled out before he made sure that he wouldn’t be rising and taking anyone with him into his undead hell, she would have to realize that before she understood why he had shot him and he wasn’t fooling himself to think that she would do so anytime soon.

        Maggie was huffing and red faced by the time they got into the kitchen because the further they walked the heavier Otis got as he began slipping into shock due to the trauma he had experienced and they had to carry more and more of his weight. Hershel helped his daughter guide the large man into a chair, and she took over holding onto the handkerchief as he went to the stove and turned on the flames. After a second he grabbed a cast iron pan and put it over the fire to heat it up. It would hold more heat longer than any of thier other pans, and to cauterize that wound they needed something hot and flat. Otis moaned, a pitiful and wounded sound if the farmer had ever heard one. He tried to ignore the sounds as they stabbed at him, he would be causing his friend more pain by the time this was over and he needed to keep his head on.

       "Is he gonna be okay daddy?" Maggie’s quiet, worried voice broke her father out of his thoughts. He shot her a tight smile. He couldn’t assure her that Otis would be fine and he knew it, and he couldn’t sugar coat the reality of this situation either. Sugar coating things wouldn’t help her in the long run.

        "I don’t know sweetheart. We can only hope I got that arm off in time ta stop the fever from taking hold, but he still has ta deal with the trauma of the amputation and blood loss. Then we have ta see how he heals up, there’s still a chance that he get’s an infection from the amputation and that takes him from us. We gave him a chance to survive by removing the bitten appendage though, a chance that he didn’t have from the moment Crowley got him." He replied bluntly, assessing the situation as he put on an oven mitt and got ready to grab the slowly smoking pan. He looked over at Maggie and she was watching him with a sort of bewildered look, but she nodded as his hand closed around the handle of the pan, bracing herself as he lifted the pan from the fire. She removed the soaked cloth from the still bleeding wound and held the remains stump out for him to press the pan too. Otis screamed as the pan made contact with his severed arm, and when the smell of burnt flesh filled the small kitchen the large man slumped back, unconscious. Hershel gagged slightly as he removed the pan, his stomach rebelling.

       "Oh God." A voice whispered weakly from the kitchen’s door. Patricia was standing there with medical supplies and she looked ready to faint. Hershel set the pan in the sink, trying to ignored the burnt gore that now decorated the bottom of it as he did. He walked over to the swaying woman and took the supplies from her. He was glad that she had thought ahead to bring them to him, but she didn’t need to see this. The next 24 hours would tell if Otis would make it or not, and he might still have to put him down.

       "Thank you Patricia. If you don’t mind I’d like to get Otis cleaned up a bit more before ya visit with him. You can see him after we’re done I promise." He spoke to her in a soothing tone, trying to get her to leave the room. They weren’t done caring for her husband yet, and he would most likely be screaming some more before they were done with their work, if he woke up while they were cleaning him up that is. She didn’t need that to be one of her last memories of Otis if this didn’t work She nodded shakily..

        "Y..Yeah. Okay Mr. Greene. Please take care of him." The shaking woman murmured, backing away from the door and the sight of her bloody husband who was missing his arm. Hershel took a deep breath before turning and looking at Maggie, who was looking at the blistered, slightly bleeding stump closely. He sighed, walking over to the table and setting the medical bag down on the small table that was next to the chair that they had Otis in. Maggie looked up at him, doubt painted all over her face.

        "This is gonna get infected really bad if we’re not careful Daddy." She whispered as he started getting out the supplies that he needed to care for the wound. He sighed again before taking a deep breath.

        "I know. Let’s get to work cleaning him up and getting his bandaged though. After that it’s up ta his body and god if he makes it through this." He responded, wishing he could tell her that he had made it though a field amputation just fine, but knowing that he couldn’t. Even if he could tell her about the future he remembered he couldn’t guarantee that Otis would experience the same results. "If he does pass we’ll have to take care of him though, I can’t say that I got his arm off in time and if he comes back then we wouldn’t be able ta handle him." He added in warning. Maggie grimaced but nodded.

        "So we watch him. If he stops breathing then we do what you did with... Shawn. I understand what ya did Daddy, I know that they ain’t sick, but I don’t think I coulda done that." She murmured. Hershel grimaced, wetting some gauze down with some antiseptic and moving forward to clean around the wounds burnt edges. He didn’t want to do too much cleaning until Otis started clotting, but he needed to get it clean all the same or an infection could take hold. He moved to a cupboard and grabbed a bowl before returning and positioning the stump over it and pouring the antiseptic over it, cleaning the burnt area quickly.

        Otis groaned in pain at the liquid’s sting, but didn’t wake as the farmer set the bottle down and patted the wound dry in quick movements. After that was done he applied a thin layer of ointment and then covered the stump with a couple layers of gauze and grabbed an ace wrap. Maggie didn’t need to be told to hold the gauze in place as her father started wrapping the bandage around the edges of the gauze before coming up the remainder of the other man’s arm slightly and then wrapping down and around the rest of the gauze to secure it in place. They would have to change the bandage as often as it needed after today, but for now giving the wound a change to clot and heal was their best bet. Maggie stepped away, looking a little less pale as she looked over their injured friend. She nodded to herself after a moment.

        "I’ll go get another shirt from Patricia so we can change him out of that one, then we need ta get him into the living room and onta the couch there. It will be easier ta watch him." She assessed. Hershel smiled at her tiredly, feeling proud of her ability to take life as it hit her. He already knew that she would be just fine in this new world they were in, but she was proving it to herself right now even if she didn’t know it yet. This situation was something that she could look back on and go I handled that so I can handle this.

        "That’s a mighty good idea Maggie. We’ve done just about as much as we can do beyond continuing ta take care of the wound so infection doesn’t take hold of him." He replied softly. She nodded again before leaving the room. Hershel looked over Otis and shook his head softly.

         "Ya have the damndest luck in this shit storm Otis." He muttered to himself, cleaning up the supplies that he had used. He didn’t know how he had convinced himself that his farm would hold out forever the last time. Even with Maggie making runs into the nearby town they would run out of supplies eventually. And he knew this time around that they weren’t alone in raiding. They simply didn’t have the numbers to send multiple people into town to back each other up, and he was getting wary about letting his little girl go out alone. Now Otis couldn’t hunt for a while, if he recovered , so supplementing their food supply with that wasn’t going to be possible. Even his livestock wouldn’t help for long, because once they got low on feed they couldn’t just go out and buy more and he could only farm and harvest so much.

       "How is he doing papa?" Yet another voice called from the door. He looked up to see the pale, tear streaked face of his youngest daughter. The old man smiled at her reassuringly, unable to help himself as he remembered how fragile Beth had become after her mother and brother’s death. He couldn’t let her sink as far down as she had before, when she thought her only choice was t kill herself before the world killed her.

       "He’s doing about as well as I expected. His survival depends on his own strength, and if we got that arm off in time now." He responded, still not sugar coating the situation, but not being as blunt as he had been with Maggie. Beth nodded, looking at the other man contemplatively. She seemed to take a deep breath as she clenched her hands once, twice, before looking at her father again after looking to see if anyone was coming, and Hershel could have sworn that he wasn’t looking at the Beth that he had known even a week ago, there were new shadows in her eyes and a look of knowing.

       "What happens now? He hasn’t shot Carl yet. I kept hoping that what I remembered was a bad dream when I woke up, but we just lost Shawn like we did before even though ya saved Momma. She’s gone ta get sheets ta wrap him up in by the way." She asked bluntly, not fiddling with her hands or anything. Hershel felt sick. He had died before he woke up in the past, so if his baby girl was here. Beth had died too.

       "How did ya die baby? It wasn’t the Governor was it?" He blurted out in a hoarse whisper, feeling a stab of pain in his chest as he asked about her death. Out of the two children he had left he had always been most afraid of Maggie dying. She was the one who was always in the thick of things, and so he had half expected her to be the one who remembered. Not Beth. The blonde flushed, looking down at her feet for a moment, then back at him as she squared her shoulders.

        "I was an idiot who didn’t have ta die, let’s leave it at that papa." She said plainly. He raised an eyebrow at her and she shook her head before sighing. "Let’s just say I won’t be going around stabbing female cops who have guns with a pair of scissors after getting rescued this time. I can only hope Rick and the others don’t ever remember that golden moment." She grumbled, sounding like she wished she didn’t have to explain her death any further. Hershel blinked twice at that statement, not believing his ears..

       "Ya did what?" He asked, unable to believe that his meek little girl had done something so stupid, so impulsive. She flushed even redder, shifting in place as she brought a hand up and rubbing her face.

       "I stabbed a cop and got shot for my troubles okay? It’s kinda a long story but I got separated from the others and they found me but the woman who ran the place wanted to trade a boy who wanted out for me. He was gonna do it, so I could get out cause it was a bad place. But I stabbed the woman cause she was being so smug and yeah." She muttered, unable to look at him as she repeated her death again.

       Hershel snorted, unable to help himself as his lips twitched upwards int a small grin. With a little more back story he could believe how she died now. While his Beth might be meek she had a strong sense of morals in her. That was mostly Annetta’s doing of course. His wife was one hell of a woman.

      "I’m gonna have ta keep an eye on ya and sharp things ya silly girl. Chances are that some of tha others are gonna remember, given that we do. Let’s hope Rick does, I know he’ll make his way here since we’re part of his group if he does. If not, well they’ll pass on that highway at some time in the coming days. I’m planning on doing a pass on a horse daily just in case." He replied, answering her original question. She looked at him sharply, her eyes narrowing as he made a joke of her problems with sharp objects.

      "There’s no need ta point out what a silly twit I was when it came ta sharp things daddy. I ain’t gonna be pulling any repeat performances, I promise ya. And I can help with the pass by’s. Daryl taught me a thing or two about defending myself when we got separated from the others after the prison fell." She grumbled, sounding offended and surly all at the same time. In other words she sounded more her age then she had in a long time before. Hershel smirked at her. He had to admit that it eased his mind knowing that she wouldn’t be trying to commit suicide again this time around, and he had just wished that Maggie remembered earlier hadn’t he? Having Beth remember would be a good thing he decided with a nod.

      "I was just pointing out that ya get in trouble when ya get something sharp in yer hands sweetie, nothing else. Now go help yer Momma with Shawn, alright? We’ll discuss how ta handle meeting up with Grimes and the others later." He suggested. Beth rolled her eyes, but nodded all the same. She paused at the door though, turning and looking at him with a mixed expression of apology and guilt.

      "I’m sorry I went and got myself killed. And I’m sorry I pretended all of that was just a bad dream. I shoulda been ready for Crowley and stopped Shawn like ya stopped Momma." She whispered. He sighed, shaking his head as he walked over to her and dragged her into a tight hug, kissing her blonde hair.

      "Shawn going after Crowley wasn’t yer fault Sweetie. Ya know that he didn’t believe me for a second when I said they were dead men walking. He thought those walkers out there were sick still and nothing would have stopped that boy from helping someone in need. Ya just remember that okay Baby? As for the other thing? Ya stood up for what ya thought was right. I can’t be upset about that, but I’d rather it didn’t happen again. I don’t know what caused this reset, but it’s not likely ta happen again, so keep that in mind when ya get the urge to stab someone and not end them." He murmured softly into her hair, trying to comfort her. She hugged him back tightly, her breath hitching as she did, and he was suddenly reminded of the fact that she had seen him die and while she had been fine seeing him before when she was pretending what she remembered was just a bad dream, now it wasn’t so easy. He tightened his grip on her just a little bit more to assure her he was really there, not saying a word as she broke down and cried into his shirt.

      "Is Beth alright Daddy?" Maggie asked suddenly, her voice startling both her father and sister and full of worry. Hershel pressed another kiss to his youngest daughter’s hair before looking at his eldest with a soft smile, reassuring her that Beth was just fine with a look. There had been enough drama today.

       "She’s just fine Sweet Heart, just a little shook up. Do ya got the shirt for Otis here? If he wakes up all clean that will do wonders for him mentally, and that’s about one of the only area’s we have much influence over in his recovery." He answered, still holding her sister tight even though she was gathering herself together even as he spoke. He resisted the urge to laugh both at the look his daughter gave him and the random thought that his girls were so strong and protective of each other. Beth pulled away from him and wiped her eyes before nodding to herself. She smiled brokenly at her sister before looking at her father.

      "I’m gonna go help Momma with Shawn now, and I suppose I should check on Jimmy seeing as he went and fainted on the two of ya when you were helping Otis and all." She announced, her voice quivering just a little as her eyes took on a warring look of humor and sorrow. Hershel knew the sorrow was for her brother, but he also knew Beth remembered mourning him already so it wasn’t hitting her as hard as it had the first time around so she was seeing the humor in her boyfriend fainting like he had. Suddenly the old man didn’t mind the younger man’s lack of guts. His little nap was giving Beth something to laugh at and his girl needed that with the memories she had rolling around in her head. He nodded at her and she left.

       "I’ve noticed that she’s seemed different over the past coupla days Daddy. I’d be worried about her, but it’s not a bad different. It’s just she’s acting more grown up I guess. I hafta admit that I was worried that she wouldn’t take Shawn’s death or ya doing what ya did ta keep him from coming back that well though. I am worried about how Momma will react but I can see Beth’s gonna be just fine if she keeps this up and it doesn’t hit her hard later." Maggie hummed after a moment, moving over to Otis’ side and unbuttoning his shirt as she talked. Hershel smiled at her before going over to the sink and grabbing a dish towel and filling up a large mixing bowl with water as he gathered what he was going to say in his head before speaking.

      He didn’t think telling his eldest child that both he and Beth had already lived this and died would go over well with her. If she didn’t think that he’d gone crazy she would be grilling him in an attempt to find out what would happen and how they had gotten sent back to the past. And that would lead to telling her that both he and her sister had died and he wasn’t stupid enough to open that can of worms yet. Oh he was sure that his spit fire would figure out something was off, but he hoped that happened after they joined Rick and his people. At least then Maggie would have Glen to distract her from the consent worry that bit of news would inevitably cause her. He didn’t feel right without his son by his side anyways.

      "I think she realized that she’s have to grow up faster then she was before because of the world that we live in Sweetheart. It isn’t a bad thing, not when it can keep her alive longer. This thing isn’t just gonna end and then everything goes back to normal. Life ain’t ever going to be exactly like it was before even if those walkers suddenly up and disappear. We ain’t seen a lot of what society is like yet cause we’ve been holding out here, but based on what happened in disaster areas before all this? It ain’t gonna be pretty." He murmured, coming over with the bowl and towel. Maggie looked at him with a furrowed brow before shaking her head, and taking the towel as he set the bowl down. He helped her take the rest of Otis’s shirt off before she started washing off the blood staining the larger man’s chest without a word for a while.

       "Yer a bit different too and it’s not in a way that I can explain away by you growing up like I can with Beth. The Daddy I grew up with was a stubborn man, not that ya ain’t still, but he was stubborn in a way that he was set in a certain mind set. A mind set that wouldn’t just let him shoot his boy, or his neighbor, or even chop off the arm of his friend without missing a beat. If that version of my Daddy was here Shawn would be a walker, Momma would be one too cause she was going ta help Crowley like Shawn was before ya stopped her, and Otis would be well on his way ta joining them cause ya wouldn’t have cut off his arm. Ya woulda just bandaged him up and he wouldn’t even have this chance ta survive if ya hadn’t changed. I won’t ask ya what happened, cause I know ya won’t tell me right now. But since we were on the subject of changes in people I thought ya should know that I’ve noticed." The dark haired woman suddenly stated, not looking at him as she continued cleaning off the blood that was on the wounded man. Hershel looked at her and shook his head. She was his observant child, the one that had agreed with Rick and his people before even he had thought about giving their opinions any sort of consideration. Of course she would notice.

       "I’m sure you’ll figure out what happened ta trigger that change some where along the lines Darling. But yer right, I ain’t gonna say a thing about it right now. We need to get Otis dressed and awake enough ta move him ta the living room. Then I need ta go out and help yer momma and Beth with Shawn. Later on we’ll need to talk, the farm ain’t gonna last forever if those things start migrating in our direction. We don’t have enough people ta defend it s we’re gonna have to be prepared ta leave when things get rough. I’d prefer ta do it before then, but I haven’t got the faintest idea of where we’ll go yet." He replied, a tone conveying the end of the conversation for now. Maggie snorted and shook her head, but she continued helping him maneuver the injured man into the clean shirt after they had finished cleaning what blood they could off him all the same. Not another word was spoken as they finished dressing thier patient.

        It took a pack of smelling salts being broken open and wafted under the unconscious man’s nose before Otis stirred enough to get him on his feet. The large man wasn’t much help as they took him into the living room, but they got him there and settled onto the couch. Maggie nodded t him once the farm hand was settled down and he had given him a pain pill, motioning to the door without a word. The Father smiled at his daughter gently, understanding she didn’t wish to speak of what he intended to do with Otis being aware enough to understand. Hershel left her to watch thier friend, noticing that she kept a grip on the small hand gun that he insisted she carry. She would end Otis if he stopped breathing, he knew that much.

         The day was far from over though, and fate wasn’t done changing the dynamics of his group yet. Hershel stepped out of his home, prepared to help his wife and daughter with his dead son and the preparations that needed to be made to bury him only to find a sword carrying dark haired woman staring at Beth with tears in her eyes, she had a toddler by her side. Michonne had found her way to his farm, and she had to remember if she was here this early on. He couldn’t resist a wide grin of relief at the sight of her.

         "Ah Michonne! I had almost lost hope that ya would make it here. I trust ya didn’t get bit? Ana, this in Michonne. She was a parish member at the church I had my meetings in. There were whispers of what was happening at the last one I attended and I told her that if she ever needed help she was welcome here." Hershel spoke loudly, hurrying over in thier direction and hoping to god Michonne hadn’t said anything that his statement contradicted. Michonne snorted, looking at him with a relieved smile.

        "I got a little held up Doc or I would have been here a hell of a lot sooner, I did lose two of my companions but I made it here with my boy intact and I thank god for that. I hope ya don’t mind me showing up out of the blue though, especially when it looks like ya just had a tragedy here yourselves. But I didn’t know where else ta go, and I remembered what ya said so I thought I would try and see if you were still around." She greeted softly, her voice far more gentle and calm then the version of the woman that Hershel had died next to Michonne looked more at peace then he had ever seen her, and he suspected that having her son had a major part in the changes he was seeing in her. Ana looked at the woman and the small boy by her side contemplatively before she looked at her husband with a half amused look that told him she wasn’t buying thier story for a second. But it also told him that she wasn’t about to send the woman or her child away even if he hadn’t known her. She nodded to herself as she made a decision.

        "Welcome to our home Ms. Michonne. Any friend of my husband’s is more than welcome in our home with what’s happening out there. I’ll show you around the house soon, but we need to take care of my son’s remains first. One of our neighbors stumbled up to the house and the foolish boy got his neck torn out. Hershel took care of him rising again, but I can’t leave him just laying there in the sun." Ana murmered, her voice cracking even as she tried to hold it steady. Hershel drew her into a one armed hug, but she was stiff in his embrace, showing her discomfort as clearly as if she had spoken it out loud. He tried not to let that reaction bother him, knowing she had watched him shoot their boy without a pause.

        "Beth, why don’t you show Michonne and her son to one of the guest bedrooms while your momma and I see to Shawn? I think she’d like talking with you. Ya don’t mind going a head of us do you Michonne?" Hershel suggested instead of dwelling on what his actions would do to their marriage. Ana was alive this time around, and that would be enough for Hershel even if she ended up hated him for ending their son. Michonne looked shocked for a second, then her eyes locked back onto Beth, who shifted nervously under her gaze, ducking her head and a red blush passing over her face. The Swordswoman’s eyes hardened slightly, even though she painted a friendly smile over her face and Hershel knew that she understood that this Beth was the one that she had known too. He felt a little guilty for throwing his girl under the bus with the other woman, but Beth would have to get used to being held accountable for the way that she had died. He didn’t doubt for a second that more of their family would remember, and they would all have something to say about her foolish actions. Beth shuffled over to Michonne and motioned to the house. When they were alone again Hershel looked down at his wife and sighed and she pulled away.

        "Don’t. I know what needed to be done after seeing Crowley, but I need some time. Our son just died and you just shot him ta make sure he didn’t come back and attack us. I’m not sure what I feel right now, but I don’t wanna say anything that might do more harm then good just cause I’m upset." His wife warned him, reaching for the sheets and shaking them out. Hershel bit his lip to stop himself from responding. He would let her have her time right now, but they needed to talk about this sooner or later.

       "Alright Darling." He murmured to her in response, not saying another word. His voice was gruff as he knelt down next to his son. It hurt to look at his still body, the hole he’d put in the teen’s head a mocking reminder that he hadn’t even hesitated before putting it there. Gently he straightened thier child’s limbs as his wife let the sheet she was holding float to the ground. The two of them didn’t say a word as Ana bent to touch Shawn’s hand, before looking at Hershel. He nodded and she adjusted her baby’s hands so they were crossed over his chest instead of laying next to him as the grieving man positioned himself.

       They worked together, Hershel at Shawn’s shoulder’s and his wife at the young man’s feet, with a lot lifting he was placed in the middle of the sheet. After Shawn was settled and both parent’s were wrapping their still son tightly in the rapidly staining white sheets a voice cleared, breaking the silence. Hershel looked up to see Michonne standing with a shovel, looking at both him and his wife steadily.

       "Beth told me where to find this Hershel. You and your wife have enough ta worry about right now, so I’ll do the digging if ya just point me ta where yer putting him. Yer man Otis fell asleep and Maggie’s watching him, Beth’s watching Andre with I think it was Patricia." She reported, her voice low and soothing, unlike anything that he had ever remembered coming from the tense and hardened woman he had known. Ana nodded over to the tree that he remembered Rick and his people camping under and the African American started walking towards it without another word. The sound of her shovel sticking the dirt, and the ground being tossed aside filled the too quiet day. As Ana tied off by Shawn’s feet with twine she paused, looking at Michonne then him with a wry grin on her face as she snorted.

       "I don’t think I’m quite ready to know just how you two really met yet, but she’s a good woman. She didn’t need to help us with this, but I get the feeling she would have rather chewed off her arm then not do something ta help ya. One day you’re going to have to tell me all about what prickly old you did to earn a friend in her." His wife murmured, a teasing note in her voice that made Hershel relax. If she could tease him whole they were getting ready to bury their child then they were going to be just fine.

        "You might not believe me when I get around to it." He warned good naturally before finishing tying off by Shawn’s head himself. His wife snorted, and gave him a odd look- a half smile half grimace.

         "I might not be as disbelieving as you think Hershel. You’ve changed, been changing since before all of this started happening and now she comes along. If I were a distrusting woman I’d think there was something going on between the two of you, but I can see clear as day that’s not the case. When you decide to tell me what happened, I’ll listen. But you saved my life today- I would have gotten myself bit trying to either help Crowley or get him off of Shawn like Otis and I won’t forget that." She replied softly. Hershel resisted the urge to snort at that blunt observation. No matter what Maggie thought she had learned much more from her step-mother then she would ever think. He hadn’t exactly been hiding the fact he had changed, but both of them had the same approach in letting him know that they had noticed.

         "I’ll keep that in mind Darling." He murmured, not being able to help the amusement that was clear in his voice. Ana snorted, and their moment was broken by a yelp. Hershel looked over to where the sound had come from to see Michonne standing over Jimmy, one of her boots in his side. The teen was awake and staring up at the newcomer balefully. The woman shrugged, moving her foot as she looked at him blandly.

         "Now isn’t the time ta be taking a nap kid. Unless you like sleeping next to a severed arm and feet away from yer dead friend. Get up and help me dig his grave will ya? Mr. And Mrs. Greene have their work cut out for them. Let’s do our part in making burying him easier on them." The woman growled, looking tough as nails. Jimmy shuddered and started crab-crawling away from Otis’ arm with a green face.

          "Uhg... No. What the? Who are you? Mr. Greene, where is Otis?!" Jimmy called in a panic, his voice high pitched as his eyes landed on Hershel and Ana. Hershel sighed. This reminded him that Jimmy was still just a child, and even if he had matured in the end and saved Rick and Carl he wasn’t to that point yet. He was a seventeen year old faced with death and gore and while Beth had her memories from the last time around to ground her into maturity he did not. He was the youngest on this farm, besides Michonne’s son.

          "Otis is inside and resting Jimmy, I’ve done all I can do for him at the moment. You go ahead and help Michonne over there in digging Shawn’s grave. She’s good people. The girls are inside doing various jobs and I’m sure they don’t need your help for the moment so you might as well make yerself useful out here where your help is needed." Hershel called out sternly. Jimmy froze, before nodding and looking at Michonne and blushing red. She rolled her eyes and held out a hand for him to use to pick himself up with. Hershel and Ana both snorted under their breath as Jimmy stared at the hand like it would bite him if he touched it. Michonne smirked slightly as the teen got up on his own and looked around, his blush paling.

         "That really happened?" The teen whispered, his eyed landing on the bundled, blood stained sheet that his girlfriend’s brother was wrapped in. He looked ready to fall back to the ground, and Michonne grunted.

          "Yeah, that really happened Sherlock. Come on, we need to finish up this hole while the Greene’s over there finish doing what they need to. No doubtebly they’ll want to get their girls before we fully bury him though." Michonne spoke drawing his attention. The teenage boy nodded slowly and she pointed to the hole she had been digging. "Well get to it, I’ll go grab another shovel." She directed. He didn’t say a word as he walked over to the shovel and started digging. Hershel nodded to Michonne as she passed him and she smirked. Ana watched, and even laughed softly as the other woman walked off.

         "I was worried about him, just laying passed out over there, but we had so much more going on between Shawn and you amputating Otis’ arm. I figured he’d be fine, maybe a little sun burnt, if we let him sleep it off rather then handling any reaction he might have before we got Shawn buried. I didn’t think I could handle it all at once. Your friend handled him well though. God Hershel, he’s just a kid who watched his friend die and then had to help hold a man’s arm while it was cut off and we can’t even let him process that. What is this world coming to?" Ana murmured, her voice cracking as she spoke. Hershel didn’t resist taking the few steps needed to get to her and then hugging her tightly. He might have lived in this hell before, but he didn’t know what to say to his wife to convince her that everything could work out. Every minute he has with her now was a minute he hadn’t had before, and he wasn’t going to take that for granted.

          "It’s true that the world around us is changing and we have to change with it to survive, but I want you ta know that Jimmy- all of us really- We’re going to have a chance to morn our losses and recover from them. It just can’t be an immediate thing anymore. Sometimes it will have to wait hours, sometimes longer. But we will survive this." He murmured into her hair. She leaned into him for a moment before pulling away and smiling at him with a shaky turn of her lips. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed.

          "Thank you for that Hershel. I know we can make if if we’re careful, if we don’t go running head first at one of those infected people, but it doesn’t make loosing Shawn any easier. And it doesn’t do a damn thing to my own mental state with knowing I would have been right with him if you hadn’t of held me back. I was an idiot for holding onto the belief that those people were just sick. Crowley... He wasn’t alive anymore. That wasn’t someone who was sick and panicking. That was a hungry beast and I let our son think he could help people like it even when you were insisting the opposite. I thought you were being paranoid, that’s all, so his death? The fact that he’s gone is on me. Not you, even though you put a bullet in his head." She gritted out, her voice raw and cracking as she spoke, blaming herself for his death.

         That wouldn’t do, while he couldn’t stop her from grieving their child he could try and stop that guilt by letting her know what happened was unavoidable. He didn’t know if his word’s would help though- her living put him in new territory, which was seen by the fact that Otis was now missing an arm and might turn before the day was over. He couldn’t regret it though- loosing her had cemented the idea that the Walkers were just sick for him because he hadn’t wanted to admit that she or their son were gone. And Ana could help them survive, she knew her way around herbs better then he did- and his paltry knowledge had helped at the prison. If they had to face a repeat of that they would need her more then him.

         "The fact our boy ran head into danger isn’t your fault Ana, I know his death is going to hurt for a while, but we didn’t cause it. No one expected Crowley ta just stumble up to the house, normally Otis spots them and they’re taken care of before they get this close. Shawn wasn’t ready to accept that this isn’t some sickness that will have a cure that makes everything go back to normal and as much as I hate to say it, more people we know and love will die. All we can do is make sure we keep our eyes open and make sure that we don’t fool ourselves. Life aint going to be easy by a long shot from here on out. Not unless a miracle happens and all those infected people up and disappear and another one never shows it’s face again, because the longer they are out there the more people they will kill and the more we’ll get from the lives we knew before. Our girl’s and the others with us? They are going to need us at our best from here on out if we’re all going to make it." He murmured. She looked at him hard for a moment, before her lip twitched.

         "I get it Hershel Greene, there will be no moping for us because we have to keep this group- your new friend included, alive. Shawn wouldn’t want us getting killed because we didn’t give a damn enough ta keep ourselves and our family alive. We’ll do our morning when we can, and we won’t let it interfere in making sure the rest of our people keep away from the infected’s teeth. I think when you finally get around ta telling me things you’ll have ta include when ya got rid of that hard part of yer personality." She murmured. Hershel snorted, shaking his head. While he knew Ana wasn’t done morning she could compose herself quicker then anyone he knew. Her strength had carried him before, he remembered that well.

         "It’s not completely gone Sweetheart, I just know how ta regulate it a bit better." He replied softly. Michonne whistled and he looked in her direction immediately. She looked at Shawn’s bundled body.

        "Are you two ready ta move him? Jimmy and I can help ya Doc and the missus can go get the girls. I’ll head inside ta watch yer man after we get yer boy moved, so the lot of ya can bury him together." the Swords woman asked pointedly. Hershel felt a wave of gratitude towards his prickly friend. Getting Shawn buried without her here would not have gone so easily. He wouldn’t have wanted to leave Otis unattended for one, and she had done him a great favor by managing to dig that hole and wake Jimmy without a fuss. He looked over to Ana who was tearing up once more. She managed a nod so he nodded to Michonne in turn. It was time that they laid Shawn to rest and started managing other things.

       "If ya don’t mind, I think that would be a fine idea. Ana, would you go get the girl’s ready. Michonne will be right up ta watch over Otis." He rumbled, his words, feeling thick in his mouth as he spoke. The realization that he was burying his boy hitting him as he spoke. He got a second chance at this disaster that was the end of the world and while he managed to save his wife his son still died. When he got around to telling Ana about the reset she was never going to forgive him. Sensing his downturn in mood Ana leaned up and kissed his cheek, drawing his attention from internally beating himself up to her.

       "That’s awfully close to moping Hershel. I’ll be back with the girl’s after you three move Shawn. I better not come back out here and find you actually moping. The others need you just as much as they need me, if not more." She scolded under her breath before moving towards the house. When Hershel had gathered himself and looked over to Jimmy and Michonne he found his friend lecturing the teen and pointing at the bundle Shawn was wrapped in. The teen was shaking his head rapidly, looking pale and Michonne looked close to slapping him hard. He got ready to step in, because while Jimmy needed to grow up he didn’t expect it to happen in one day. The teen was a new element for Michonne.

        "What’s going on over here?" He asked sternly, breaking the situation up before slapping happened. Jimmy blanched and shifted and Michonne shot him an exasperated look, one of her hands resting on her hip and the other once half raised in the teen’s direction. Hershel knew in another minute or so Jimmy would have gotten a head slap that he wouldn’t have forgotten. She sighed, lowering her hand.

        "The kid doesn’t like the idea of helping us move yer boy. Is he always this useless?" The exasperated woman hissed. Jimmy blushed bright red and Hershel sighed. Apparently Michonne wasn’t as relaxed as he assumed from her arrival. He knew from her reaction to Beth that she had survived the Prison’s fall, and even outlived his youngest daughter, so he couldn’t imagine just what she had seen before her death.

        "Jimmy I sure would appreciate the help, besides Michonne here you’re one of the only people I can ask. Otis is resting after the amputation, but I suppose I could ask Maggie or Beth. If it’s hard for you I can only imagine what it would be like for them considering he’s their brother." The old Vet murmured sorrowfully, knowing he was playing this a bit dirty. Moving Shawn would go faster with him helping, and Michonne’s tactic of yelling at him wasn’t working. Jimmy blushed brighter, but his spine straightened.

        "No need ta get the girl’s ta help with this Mr. Greene. I’ll help you two move him to the grave." The teen spoke, his voice shaking. Michonne smirked at Hershel as his tactic worked, and she shook her head.

        "I forgot how sneaky you can be old timer." She murmured as she walked closer to him. He snorted, though he cringed inside at the reminder that she had lived long enough to forget people she had lived by every single day. They were going to have to get together later and compare notes and start planning.

         Michonne stubbornly positioned herself at Shawn’s head, claiming the bloodied area of sheet’s at her portion to carry. Part of Hershel was sure it was a move designed to spare him from having to do it himself. Jimmy watched her, and positioned himself at the middle of the bundle, leaving Hershel with his feet. Moving Shawn was a slow thing. He’d been a tall teen in life, who liked to work out and all that muscle translated into dead weight now and they didn’t want to drop him. They made it to the hole Michonne and Jimmy had dug though, and once the teen was inside his final resting place, Michonne headed inside.

         "Thank you for that Jimmy." Hershel murmured as they waited for Ana and the girl’s. He wasn’t surprised that they hadn’t come out when they were moving Shawn. He had gotten that much from Ana’s last statement before she had gone inside. Jimmy shifted on his feet, not looking at his girlfriend’s father.

         "I should have just done it when that lady asked instead of arguing with her. I’m sorry about that." He finally replied as the house door opened and Ana came out with their daughter’s. Hershel snorted.

         "I aint the one ya have ta apologize when it comes to that situation son. But I’d give Michonne a couple hours ta cool off before ya do that." The older man teased. Jimmy groaned, wiping his hands on his pants as he finally looked at Hershel. He shook his head and swallowed almost comically hard.

           "That woman’s a little scary though, Mr. Greene. Where did she come from?" He asked, his voice wavering slightly. Hershel chuckled, noting that the girls were almost to them and the light heartedness was going to disappear once again when they got there. He gave the teen a little smile as he shrugged.

          "She’s an old friend of mine son, and you ain’t seen nothing when it comes ta her yet. But if ya listen ta her and don’t give her problem’s she’ll be a peach." He replied. Jimmy looked at him like he was crazy, but didn’t respond as the female Greene’s arrived at the grave site. The next word’s that were spoken were not in jest, but were solemn as Hershel drew on the sermon’s that he’s been to in his life to honor his son’s passing and provide closure for his surviving family. He hoped to god he wouldn’t have to repeat this again.

           Inside the house Michonne watched the solemn event with one eye, the older on locked onto the man that she was watching. His wife had chosen not to go to the funeral, so she had Andre in another room. Michonne wasn’t too optimistic about the large man’s survival if she was completely honest with herself. While Hershel had survived his bite and amputation, she couldn’t forget the one’s who hadn’t. Like Tyreese for example, he had died even after being put through an amputation. But then again they didn’t have a chance to properly stop the bleeding with that one, and the chances of him having died and turned due to blood loss over the amputation being too late were about even. The swords woman sighed.

          When she had come to the farm that she remembered finding Andrea close to she had half expected Rick and the others to be here already , and if she was honest she had come with the hope of convincing the cop to let her join his group, since she remembered Hershel being a hard ass about letting people stay on his land. This time around it seemed like everything was going so much slower though because they were not there with that clunky RV. The mother knew that most of that had to do with the fact that her son was still alive. She hadn’t left him with his father this time, having woke up the day before with memories that told her it would be a bad idea. And it has saved the toddler’s life. She hadn’t had the heart to cut off her boyfriend’s lower jaw and arms this time, so with whatever supplies she could carry with Andre she made her way here.

         And when she got here she found that she wasn’t alone in remembering. Hershel, the man who had been killed next to her and with her sword remembered, and that saved her from any awkward explaining as to who she was and why she was at their home. Even more shocking was the fact that Beth remembered too, and not Maggie. That stupid, stubborn girl remembered everything, even getting her fool self killed after everything they had done to rescue her and she had been hesitant to face Michonne, but Hershel had all but tossed her at the other woman so he could help his wife and Michonne hadn’t hesitated to talk with her.

         The little talk Michonne had with the young blonde had reassure her that she wouldn’t be pulling the same stupid stunts. Which was good. Beth dying had torn their group apart at their very core for a long time. Maggie, Daryl. It hadn’t been pretty and that fact made Michonne glad that this Maggie had been spared remembering the future. Beth’s death had changed her for the worse, because Daryl had Rick to lean on and Maggie had pulled away from Glenn. She was pulled from her thoughts as she noticed the teen that she had lectured start shoveling dirt into Hershel’s son, and she looked away- remembering burying too many people. She wouldn’t let s many people die if she had a choice this time around, so Rick better get his slow ass group here. She didn’t know Hershel’s plan now that the man who had originally caused the meeting wouldn’t be shooting a shotgun, but they would figure out something. She wasn’t missing a chance ta keep Andrea, among others alive this time around.

         All thoughts of future plans were set aside for the moment as she looked out of the window to see that the two youngest Greene's were heading inside. She would get together with Hershel and Beth later for some planning, but for now there was nothing to be done. She was here with her boy and those two girls and Hershel were her's to watch over until Rick got here. With those two remembering the Swords woman had a feeling Rick would remember too, and whatever plan's they may make would be a moot point in the end. Well that would be the ideal situation. She did make a note to keep an eye out for Carol's girl when she got to making scouting round's. If nothing else worked then bringing that child back to her momma alive would serve as their reason for meeting.


	15. The Morning After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh dear lord I oopsied. It's been a YEAR since I last updated and I must beg for forgiveness. My pregnancy had it's ups and downs, and then I got caught up in getting my home ready for my son. Yes I had a little boy November 8th 2015. Labor wasn't easy unfortunately. My water broke at 37 weeks 6 days and I was barely dilated. 21 hours later and it looked I was going to have a C-section. But by god I pulled off having him the old fashioned way. Only the little monkey decided he was going to make his own way out. I lost over 2 liters of blood and they thought they were going to lose me- I passed out from blood loss. And though I survived it took a long time to heal and healing on top of taking care of a newborn isn't easy. My son's almost 6 months old now and I'm finally getting back to my stories though, so good news. Thank you all for well wishes while I've been gone, and or continuing to re-read and review. If I hadn't seen how much people still wanted to read this and other stories I've done I might have thrown in the towel. But I'm not!

      “Rick I hate ta wake ya up, but ya really should get out here because shit is hitting the fan. Jim just stopped breathing about fifteen minutes ago. Dixon’s brother had to put a rail tie into his head faster then most of us could move after the poor asshole got up again even though he hadn’t been bit. Things are getting kinda tense now if ya know what I mean. Morales has packed his family up and Lori is in your friend Morgan’s face because he won’t let her be alone with Carl, something I think he’s mighty smart about doing since she looks shifty as fuck. I think she might be up ta something, specially after last night.” Shane’s voice roused Rick from his entirely too comfortable sleep. And it sounded like his friend didn’t have anything good to tell him. Soreness made itself known soon after he blinked sleepily and the cop blushed, burying his head into Daryl’s chest. The Hunter’s arms tightened around him, and he felt a kiss pressed to his head, keeping him calm and steady as he registered that one of his people hadn’t made it.

     “We’ll be right out. How’s Jackie doing, has she woken up yet, or shown any sign she ain’t been bit?” He asked as he turned his face away from the warm, bare skin it had made it’s home in. He was already reaching for his pants, even if he hadn’t made a move to actually get up from his position of half laying across his hunter. Shane snorted outside, sounding tired and more then a little annoyed..

     “She isn’t any better or any worse then she was when ya got put ta bed. From what I saw and heard from your Doctor friend she’s still out of it, and the verdict on if she’ll make it or not is up in the air man. I do know that she’s gotta want ta make it, we saw enough accidents ta know if the victim doesn’t want ta live it ain’t happening.” The other cop replied, completely unaware of the fact Rick had finally moved off of his lover’s chest, wiggled out of his boxers and wiped himself off with them as he did so, just to make sure nothing was still leaking from his body. Daryl watched as he started dressing, a possessive, smug look in his eyes as they roamed over his lover’s body and the little marks that he’d left behind the night before. After a moment he too started getting dressed. Rick sighed at the report, buttoning his jeans.

      “At least she still has a chance then.” He replied, his throat thick as he thought about the woman. The stubborn hope that she would snap out of the state she had gone into last night still lingering in his mind He knew that by the CDC she had given up on surviving, but he had no idea of her state of mind currently. Would she make it? Shane was right in saying it was up in the air if she had any say in it at least.

      “Are you two decent yet? Or do I gotta keep talking to a tent? Cause in between ignoring Lori trying to call Carl over to her while the boy looks like she pissed in his corn flakes when she starts getting demanding and insulting and Morales packing up his family I’m getting a little fed up of speaking to tent walls” Shane suddenly asked, his voice showing his annoyance with his current situation. Daryl snorted, buttoning up his Jeans, and tossing Rick his shirt in what almost looked like one smooth move.

       “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind an eyeful, but I ain’t feeling the need ta let him have a peek. Go on and put that on before ya go opening the tent up.” Rick’s lover muttered under his breath. Rick sighed, trying not to roll his eyes at his lovers possessiveness becase Daryl had a damned good reason to be that way after the way Shane had been acting.

       “Be nice Daryl. At least he woke us up and didn’t just opened the tent and come in. And he’s asking, instead of just assuming it’s been long enough for us ta have dressed and all”. He scolded playfully, shrugging the shirt on, and being careful of his wound- which throbbed in reminder that yes it was still there and no it didn’t want to be ignored. He couldn’t remember when it had stopped being so tender, but he was more then ready for that part of the healing process to be completed. Daryl snorted at his reaction.

      “We’re both all covered up in here Officer Prick, Rick’s on his way out now in fact, so keep you damn panties straight will ya? We’ll dive inta taking care of everyone soon enough.” The hunter announced, his voice showing his own irritation as he spoke, even though his lips were curled into a grin and his blue eyes were sparkling as he looked at Rick. The cop shook his head, his own lips curling into a grin in response to his lover’s as he heard Shane start grumbling under his breath at the response he had received. After a second Rick reached for the zipper and made his way out of the little world he’d been enjoying with Daryl. It was time to return to reality and deal with the frightened people who lived there once again.

       “Well ya don’t look any worse for the wear, so I’m guessing your buddy there didn’t keep you up all night. Lori’s on a war path again over the fact the two of ya slept together. And from what a couple of the gossips are saying it was more then a sleep over.” Shane hummed, looking Rick over as he stepped out of the tent. Rick rolled his eyes as Daryl snorted behind him, close enough for the cop to feel his body heat.

       “Neither of us are about ta kiss and tell now are we Rick? It ain’t none of you damn business anyway. Let’s get ta the trouble before it finds us. I’m in too good of a mood ta be ambushed with whatever has gone wrong since I made sure Rick here got the rest he needed after the day we had yesterday.” Daryl grunted, obviously not willing to be baiting into talking about last night with Shane of all people. The man in question snorted, before motioning to the RV with a careless wave of his hand- his eyes on Rick.

        “The group is over there, they ain’t too happy with Jim turning and all- like I said before.” He replied, not responding to Daryl’s statement. There really wasn’t a response needed, given that the other man was right and he didn’t need to know. Rick kept that in mind as he moved towards the RV, trying not to let his gait show what he’d been doing the night before, but the soreness made it slightly hard to accomplish it.

       He thought he did well, because he had only half limed a couple times by the time he got to the RV, and the soreness was down to a dull ache. He wasn’t going to try sitting down any time soon, but he had a feeling he wouldn’t get the chance too either- not with the expressions painting the faces around him. He took a steadying breath, perhaps finding out about the infection in all of them when they did before had been the better option. Everyone still living had experienced just how harsh the outside world was these days and while they had been pissed with him at the farm they hadn’t had this fear.

        “I heard we had some excitement this morning.” He hummed, letting everyone know he was there. Dale snorted, eyeing Rick over like he could tell if the other man hadn’t slept like he had wanted to. Well whatever he was looking for, he seemed to find to his satisfaction because he nodded once.

       “Jim passed away this morning, he never woke up which was probably a godsend given the extents of his sunburn. He turned and Merle here put him down, which is also a good thing considering everyone was shocked enough that they hadn’t moved yet and he could have attacked one of us. We went back over the body though- thinking we had missed a bite. We hadn’t- he wasn’t bit Rick.” He explained. Morgan made a noise from over by Jacqui and Rick looked at him- he had a pensive look on his face.

      “People getting up from the dead had to start from someplace Rick. While it’s sped up by a bite, I think there’s a good chance that we’re all infected by whatever it is that causes this. It would make more sense then someone randomly becoming infected then causing the world to go single handedly. It was probably spread by a weponized virus of some sort, and I tried explaining it to these people, but they ain’t listening to me so I doubt they’ll even listen ta you at the moment. They’re all panicking but if we’re infected then there ain’t a damn thing to do about it. I highly doubt even the CDC’s still up and running given I saw first hand how people started committing suicide after they realized just what the hell was happening.”The Doctor muttered, sounding angry as he filled in his friend on exactly what was happening. Rick sighed, Shane had come to get him to deal with this, but if the medical professional wasn’t able to get them past this then what was he supposed to do? He nodded to his friend after a moment, preparing himself.

      “We’ll let’s give them a chance ta let this sink in Morgan. Finding out you’ll turn even if ya don’t get bit is a bit of a mind twister after all, and we can’t just expect it ta register like that. After they’ve had a chance ta accept this, then we’ll get inta the technical stuff like just how we got infected. As for the rest of ya, calm yerself down right quick before ya draw attention we don’t want ta us. Panicking will do nothing ta change our situation anyways. If we’re infected, we’re infected plain and simple. And if one of us goes down without being bit we’ll take care of it, just the same as we’d do if they got bit.” Rick replied, his voice stern as he first spoke to Morgan before turning to address the other people standing around.

       Dale nodded at his words, turning to look at Andrea and Amy who still looked disturbed, but were more relaxed then they had been when Rick had arrived. Rick’s attention was drawn to the door of the RV, as Merle and Shane came out carrying the body of their lost member in between them. It was a strange sight for the man who was reliving the past, one he had never even imagined seeing. Shane and Merle’s very personalities had given Rick the impression that they wouldn’t have gotten along very well had Daryl’s older brother made it back from Atlanta the first time around, but there they were- not cussing at each other, but working together in silence to move a dead body from the RV. Lori gasped from on the edge of the gathered group and Rick spared her a look. She was staring at Jim’s dead body and she looked green as hell. Before he could tell her to go back towards the tends she turned and the spattering of vomit hitting the ground overtook the silence that had fallen upon the two men’s exit from the RV.

        “Come on Lori, let’s get you back to your tent.” Carol murmured gently, moving over towards the possibly pregnant woman’s side as the vomit stopped flowing. She firmly guided the other woman away from the body and was followed by Andrea and her sister as Morales stepped forward to help the men. They carried Jim in the directions of the holes the poor man had killed himself digging. As they left the groups sight Daryl grunted and drew his attention back to the remaining members of their group as he looked at the remaining people with a careful eye. They were all scared out of their minds by this newest twist and Glen was shooting the Unconscious Jacqui, who was laying just inside the RV on the very couch that Rick and Daryl had rutted on the night before, a thinly veiled looks of ill ease and panic. Neither Rick nor Daryl could blame him, considering they had just had to put Jim down when he hadn’t even been bit and they were still unsure of how the dark skinned woman had been wounded when she had tried to save Ed.

        “Uh. What are we going to do about her?” The Korean suddenly blurted out, pointing towards the still woman even though he didn’t have to. Everyone understood what he was asking. Were they going to sit around waiting to see if she was going to turn. Or were they going to put her down before she did? Rick put a hand on his holster as Morgan stiffened and moved his body in front of hers. Now was the time to repeat what would become the golden rule of their group. Well for the most part it had been, until humanity had shown it’s ugly face and demanded that they change or find themselves killed or eaten by other survivors.

         “We don’t kill the living, Do ya hear that everyone? We don’t know what’s going on with Jacqui but we ain’t going ta be putting a hole in her head because she may be bit or dying. The second she stops breathing we’ll do our duty to her to make sure she don’t hurt anyone but until then we are going ta give her the chance ta fight for her life. Anyone of ya would want the same thing in her place wouldn’t ya?” He intoned. Glen nodded once, but not everyone looked so agreeable to his declaration though Carl was giving his father an approving look from where he sat next to Sophia and Duane. Morales wife hugged her children closer to her and looked at the woman behind Morgan with distrust in her eyes. Rick had the sickening feeling that he would be giving the man and his family weapons once again, as they struck out to find their family. He could only hope, like he had the last time, that they found somewhere safe.

* * *

 

        It took a good half an hour before Shane returned with Merle and Morales, but all that time hadn’t just been spent on giving Jim a proper burial. After they had gotten done putting him in the ground they had gone to get Ed’s body and bury it also. That had taken care of the currently dead members of the group, though they still had the walker bodies to finish taking care of- they had been stacked early in the morning, but they still needed to be burned, and no one had raised a fuss about that this time around. Or they hadn’t within Rick’s hearing range. He supposed that if they had said something either Morgan or Merle had set them straight about the praticallity of burying them all, or they could still say something before the fire was lit. But that was something for later. Right now he had to see where the members of his group were sitting mentally after the morning and shock they had . Morales joined his wife, who leaned against him as if he could protect her and their children from the world as Shane went to stand next to Dale, and Merle settled in wherever he felt like. In this case it was close to Daryl but still in the outer edge of the group. Andrea, Amy and Carol came back shortly before them, settling in where they had been before Lori got sick without a word. Rick assumed Lori was laying down, not that he blamed her. He knew from his memories she always had a weaker then normal stomach- even without a pregnancy weakening it further.

       “Everything go okay getting them buried?” Rick asked, even though he knew the answer. If something had gone wrong they would have said something, but to be honest he didn’t know how to start the conversation. Not with how utterly somber every one was looking and feeling and then there was the little fact that even though he had known most of these people for years those years hadn’t happened yet. To most of them he was a newcomer still and he didn’t want to seem overly personal with them. Morales shifted, but nodded with the two men who he had accompanied. His wife nudged him suddenly.

          “I uh. I mentioned it to the rest, but since you and Daryl were in your tent I think I should tell you too. Seeing as you saved our hides in Atlanta and you were the reason we even had a plan on how to handle the walker attack and all. My family and I are planning to head out soon, we have family nearby and if we’re all infected. Well we’d like to try to see if they’re alive. If they are then we’d like to be with them.” He murmured. Rick nodded, resisting the urge to sigh or even protest. He couldn’t control them and if he tried to stop them it wouldn’t make a difference. Instead he looked over to Daryl, then Shane before looking back at the man and his family with an understanding in his gaze. He would do what he could to help.

        “At least stay long enough for us to get together some supplies and weapons for ya. It ain’t easy out there and I don’t want ta see you and yer family leave without knowing I did everything I could ta see ya survive. Morgan, can you run through some basic first aid with them, and go to the supplies we gathered and get a little kit together. Morales, you’re going ta want ta raid gas stations and small shops when ya can. Supplies go fast even when yer stationary. Let alone when yer on the road. I found that out with Morgan and Duane.” He replied. The thank filled look he got from the other man was almost satisfying, but the reminder that he had no idea what happened to the other version of the young family in the future weighed on him. He was about to see them off once again, and he didn’t have the benefit of knowing it would end well.

          “As for the rest of you, they have the right idea. This location isn’t safe anymore and if we’re going to survive let alone thrive with the world the way it is we need ta find a new location. Morgan brought up a good point about the CDC, and I don’t think any of he Forts will be any better. Our best bed is an isolated farmland or a previously fortified structure. Even if we have to clear them out they’re a hell of a lot better then a valley that’s right in the path of Walker’s that’s run out of living meals to devour.” The Cop intoned, and then watched the reactions of everyone around him. For the most part everyone seemed to agree with his statement, only Shane made a slight face, and Rick knew he was still clinging to Fort Detrick.

           “Rick, not to contradict you or anything, but if any of the Military survived then Fort Detrick is our best bet for protection.” The other Cop interjected, most of the group looked back and forth between them, but there were a couple angry gazes shot at Rick’s police Partner. Mainly from the ones who remembered the future, though Carol joining their ranks surprised Rick slightly.

        “Officer Prick, I think that’s what Biker boy calls you, I have to say you’re a damned idiot. Those military boys either all went down trying to protect civilians or they were told by their CO’s to make their own way once everyone realized just what a FUBAR situation we’re currently living in. They’re not going to be holed up in some fort plotting a take back when the entire damn country is either Walkers or ticking time bombs. Those men, if they’re still living at all, are with thier families trying ta keep them alive.” Morgan broke into the conversation, sounding Irate. Rick supposed with his history he was. Shane looked at him annoyed, but he then nodded relectently. Even he could understand the most loyal soldier going home to protect his family instead of sticking around waiting to die protecting some stranger.

        “Fair enough. And It’s Shane. Don’t go copying Rick’s new boyfriend Mister. Just because he can’t get my name right ta save his soul don’t mean that ya can pick up on his nicknames.” He replied with a shrug and a small glare. Morgan gave him an incredelous look, and Rick almost sighed. Whatever truce they may have at times didn’t seem to be a regular thing, but like he had decided before- they needed to work this out on thier own if they were going to come to any lasting agreement where insults were not thrown by either side. They were adults, and they could do it without his help... He hoped.

          “What we need is somewhere Isolated and fertile. It’s not likely that we’ll be able ta just go to a shop and buy food anytime soon so we’re going ta need ta become self sufficient because even raiding will start ta bring in less and less and we'll use the remaining products soon enough. So some sort of farmland or a fortified area that we can turn inta farmland. If we have ta clear it of walkers then so be it. I don’t intend just ta wither away and I ain’t about ta let that happen ta any of you, so this needs to be our priority. Especially if Lori’s pregnant. She’s going ta need a stable place if she’s going ta give birth, and she’s going ta need a steady source of food so both she and that baby get through the pregnancy unharmed.” Rick suddenly intoned, laying out his plan. Even Morales looked interested in what he had to say, which was interesting given that he had one foot out the door so to speak. The mildly disapproving and uneasy look that Shane had been sporting since he spoke up faded as Rick finished his little speech. Instead a little hope bloomed in his eyes.

           “Ya know, that could work Rick. Man, I shoulda known better then ta think you didn’t have some sort of plan rattling around in that head of yours.” The other cop hummed. Daryl snorted, shooting him a glare at his statement. Rick just rolled his eyes though and gave his friend a good natured smirk. Before he had come with Morgan Shane had been the one making the decisions- good or bad, and that wasn’t a habit that was easily broken. He could handle the other man second guessing him at times, because to expect anything else was kind of stupid on his part. Even before the world ended the two of them would need to prove their rational when it came to making choices before the other one would agree. It had been good for them then and it could be good for them now if the time traveling cop rolled with it instead of suddenly becoming insulted by it. Daryl, however, hadn’t gotten to know that faucet of their friendship so he was bound to be protective of his partner when the other cop started acting like this. Again it was understandable.

          “Good ta know I have yer approval Shane. I need ya ta get Lori on board with it though. She seems pretty comfortable here and what with announcing she might be pregnant and all- she might not be wanting ta start a road trip that will take god knows how long. We can’t stay here though so tha sooner she’s not fighting tha move the better.” The Cop hummed, bringing himself out of his thoughts. Shane’s eyes narrowed slightly for a moment, but he nodded, looking in the direction of the tent she occupied.

          “She laying down?” He asked no one in particular. Andrea snorted- her eyes flashing and Rick had to think that his ex-wife had somehow managed to offend the other woman when she had accompanied her sister and Carol in making sure Lori was okay after her vomiting episode.

         “Queen Lori has decided to try sleeping the day off and seeing if yesterday afternoon and evening were just a bad dream. Rick I’d stay away from her for a bit. Some of us heard you getting put down for the night by Daryl over there and she’s pretty unhappy that you two were ‘flaunting your perversion’. God I almost started feeling sorry for her when she lost everything on her stomach when Jim was brought out but after having to listen to her rant yet again I kind of wished she’d just done us all a favor and fainted.” Andrea muttered. Daryl stiffened at her words, shooting the tent a dark look as he read in between the line. Lori was trying to stir up trouble of the Homophobic kind. If this wasn’t their second time going around he might be a little nervous about the rest of the groups reactions and intentions towards him and Rick. But it wasn’t and he knew for a fact that most of the people here would have no problem with him and Rick. That being said Morales and his wife looked a little uncomfortable at the topic being brought up. It was obvious that they were not as open as the rest of camp seemed to be towards the new relationship.

      “After we’re done here I’ll go speak with her. So do we have a plan on where to find this promised land Rick? Or are we going ta just pick a direction and start driving?” Shane responded, looking at his friend with a half joking, half serious light in his eyes. Rick blinked. Well shit. He couldn’t just declare he knew where a farm that had living people on it was now could he? And he couldn’t say that when they reached said farm they couldn’t stay there because he knew of an even better place that they would have to clear out. He’d just proposed this little venture so he would have to ‘do some research’ before they headed out so it didn’t look too convenient when they got to Hershel's farm- and they would be stopping there to pick up the people- his people- that lived there. So for now he’d improvise. He chuckled to cover his pause.

         “One step at a time brother. I need ta look at the maps Morgan and I brought along so I can figure out a direction that would yield the best results- given our Criteria and all. So for now ya just talk ta Lori about how necessary this venture is and I’ll get ta work on getting things together for Morales and his family. Morgan are you going to be alright watching Jackie or do ya need ta get some sleep?” He replied, turning to his ‘newer’ friend. The Doctor was watching the conversation with amusement, and startled a little when he was addressed. Rick grinned as he was shot a mild glare, knowing he didn’t mean anything.

          “I was resting when your guy’s brother took care of Jim earlier Rick, I’ll be fine watching the lady and putting her down if need be. You do what ya need to ta keep those fine people going when they depart our company.” The Doctor replied, settling his hand on his knife as he spoke to reinforce his readiness to handle Jacqui. Rick nodded before looking over to Daryl and then at Glen. He couldn’t keep to a core group this early on, so he would have to include the people who didn’t remember the future like he did in everyday activities- so that one day they would be the core he remembered even if they turned out different from who they had been before. So right now he would invite Glen to help him determine what the Morales family needed, to encourage the younger man to look at him as a friend by including him.

         “Glen was it? I’d like yer help sorting though my supplies and getting a kit together for our friends. Morgan over there told me yer the one who mainly goes on the raiding parties around here so I figure you’d be the best in figuring out what we can spare and what they’d need.” He spoke, a question in his voice. Glen lit up and bounced forward almost as soon as he was done talking- ready and eager to help. It kind of hurt to see Glen this young and eager again if Rick was honest. The Glen he had watch die had become so mature, had been married and a father. And his death had hit them all hard.

        “Sure thing Officer Grimes! I’ve been wanting to look over the supplies that were in your cruiser since we got to camp. I almost came over when you were organizing, but It didn’t seem right so I let you do your thing. But it will be nice to see what you have on hand and what we can use in the camp currently.” He chattered, coming up to Rick’s side. The Cop looked at him for a second, a grin flitting across his lips without his permission before looking back at his Partner and crooking an eyebrow. Daryl nodded.

           “I’ll keep a look out for anymore walkers and help Merle get rid of the bodies from the attack. Ain’t no reason for me ta follow tha two of you around now is there? And I’ll keep an eye on tha ankle biters too if ya want. Ya just gotta take it easy, once we get back on tha road ya won’t have the chance ta rest like ya can here after all.” The hunter declared without a word from Rick. With a nod he headed towards his brother and the cop turned to the young man, who was practically bouncing at the chance to go through the supplies with him. Rick knew he was just excited with the chance to see what he had brought into camp considering what his role in the group was, but it was refreshing to see all the same.

          “Well, looks like that’s out cue. Morales if your sure about leaving then I’ll let you get to taking stock of your things. If ya notice anything ya might be needing come over ta the cruiser and my tent and let us know so we can see if we have it. Whether we can spare things or not doesn’t matter if it’s important ta yer comfort or safety. I’m not going ta watch yer family leave knowing we had something that could help you- we can always pick up more while we’re on the road.” He instructed the Hispanic man over Glen’s shoulder. Morales nodded, thank in his eyes and he bent to kiss his wife’s head.

         “Thank you Rick. God was looking down on us when you heard our call in Atlanta. And we’re sure about leaving. If there’s a chance out family is still alive then we need to get to them.” He replied. Rick nodded, not being able t shack the heavy feeling in his gut as he turned and headed back towards his campsite- Glen following close behind him. He didn’t like the fact that Morales was once again leaving the group, but he had a feeling his open relationship with Daryl had helped cement that event into place. He hadn’t missed their unease when the topic of last night had come up. But the other man was a good person, even if he was uncomfortable with a same sex union her hadn’t said a word against them and if that wasn’t a reason to do right by them when they were getting their care package together Rick didn’t know what was. He wasn’t a bad human being, not now or even later with what he had lived through while the world had deteriorated more and more the further along this apocalypse had lasted.

           The rest of the day was spent evaluating what they had, what they could spare and what the Morales family needed if they were going to be on their own. There were surpluses that were easily divided, and decisions made about other supplies that would be harder to come by, but invaluable to smaller groups. Rick and his people could easily mount a raid to gather if they really needed it. But a group of two adults and two children? It would be suicide for them to even try. So of course most of the time the answer was easy- the supply in question was added to the stack that would be going with the departing family.

         They only stopped when the sun started setting. The Morales’ had decided to set off in the morning, so there was one last night with the remaining group together. As dinner was cooked Rick made a point to be pouring over his maps, circling area’s he thought were good for settling and mapping out a route to them. If that route happened to take them along the highway close to Hershel’s... Well that was something no one really needed to know now wasn’t it. And he wasn’t alone during this. Shane had checked on Lori, and while the woman hadn’t come out of her tent, she hadn’t caused anymore problems so the other man was sitting next to his Police Partner, debating locations along with Daryl and Morgan while others watched, curious and slightly uneasy about the upcoming journey they would be taking. And while there was tension in the air, for the first time since Rick woke up he felt like things were going his way. And he would do anything to keep them that way.


End file.
